Sub-6 GHz
Radio frequency bands below 6 GHz (6,000 MHz).
Prior to 2019, all radio frequency bands used for mobile phones were below 6 GHz.
5G introduced much higher-frequency mmWave bands, and thus the need for the term "sub-6 GHz" to distinguish existing bands from mmWave.
See: mmWave
See: 5G NR
In the US, sub-6 GHz bands used for 5G are generally the same bands used for 4G and 3G. Some of these bands are split into 4G and 5G sub-divisions. More commonly, starting in late 2019, a technology called DSS (dynamic spectrum sharing) allows 4G and 5G technologies to share the same band, with allocations that can change rapidly to meet demand.
See: DSS
Last updated Nov 13, 2020 by Rich Brome
Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.
