5G NTN Frequency Bands

Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) are wireless communication networks that operate using satellites, high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), and drones. 3GPP Release 18 has divided 5G NTN Frequency Bands in two parts - NTN FR1 and NTN  FR2.

In 5G NTN FR1 (Frequency Range 1), frequencies range from 410 MHz to 2500 MHz and have two key bands: the n255 (NTN 1.6 GHz or L-Band) and the n256 (NTN 2 GHz or S-Band) bands - Additional bands were . These bands are part of the L-band and S-band which are included in IEEE’s band terminology. 

NTN FR1 Bands (L-bands and S- bands) 

In 5G NTN FR2 (Frequency Range 2). These have not been formalized yet. The proposed frequency range is 17.3 GHz to 30 GHz which is part of IEEE’s Ka-band for satellite communications. For 5G NTN, there are three proposed FR2 NTN satellite bands: n510, n511 and n512. Like many Ka-band links, the downlink band (Satellite to Earth Station) has a lower frequency.

Proposed 3GPP NTN FR2 Bands (Ka-band)

Note: The 5G FR2 Bands are proposed bands

3GPP’s 5G standards recognize NTNs as a part of the 5G connectivity infrastructure. Airborne or spaceborne 5G base stations can be used to connect to terrestrial ground stations in a commercially feasible way. These high-altitude network segments maximize the inherent value of 5G networks by solving coverage problems and difficult use cases that ground-based infrastructure alone cannot address. In NTNs, satellites can be used not just for backhaul but also for access networks and airborne vehicles typically operating at altitudes between 8 and 50 km can be used to further expand NTNs’ scope and commercial scalability.