5G Band Name
28 GHz
Duplex Mode
Supported Channel Bandwidths
50 100 200 400 MHz
Overview
The 28 GHz band remains the world's most trialled / tested 5G band. Development of the 28 GHz band is ongoing and is headed up by 3GPP TR 38.815. Like all mmWave bands, n257 is a capacity layer designed for short range transmission with high data rates.
The interest surrounding the 28 GHz band is largely due to a combination of three factors;
- Spectrum Availability: large portions of the spectrum are underutilised, allowing several hundred megahertz to be dedicated to 5G services
- Device Complexity: of the available mmWave bands, 26 and 28 GHz bands are the lowest frequencies available, providing better propagation and reduced device complexity
- Geographical Harmonisation: of the available mmWave bands, the 28 GHz frequency range is available in the greatest number of countries across the globe.
Standardising a single 28 GHz band would not be practical as to cover the entire 24.25 to 29.50 GHz range would require RF devices to handle a 5.25 GHz wide bandwidth. As such three bands were defined to cover the three geographical groups:
- n257: Covering 26.5 to 29.5 GHz for Japan, North America, and South Korea
- n258: Covering 24.25 to 27.5 GHz for Europe and China
- n261: Covering a narrower 27.5 to 28.35 GHz for operation alongside n260 (39 GHz) in the United States
![5G mmWave spectrum availability of 28 GHz band, CEPT](/sites/default/files/inline-images/5G-mmWave-28GHz-CEPT-report-spectrum.png)