3GPP Standards: EARFCN & LTE/5G Frequency Bands Explained

What is 3GPP?

3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) is the international standards body that defines the technical specifications for mobile telecommunications. Founded in 1998, 3GPP has produced the standards for UMTS (3G), LTE (4G), and 5G NR — the technologies that power virtually every modern smartphone network on Earth.

3GPP specifications are organized into numbered Releases. Each Release adds new features and capabilities. LTE was introduced in Release 8 (2008), while 5G NR arrived in Release 15 (2018). Canadian carriers operate under these same global standards, which is why a phone bought in South Korea can work on a Canadian network.

Key 3GPP Technologies

UMTS / HSPA (3G) — Release 99 through Release 7. Uses WCDMA radio access. Still active on some Canadian towers for voice fallback.
LTE / LTE-A (4G) — Release 8 onward. Uses OFDMA radio access. The dominant technology on Canadian networks today.
5G NR (New Radio) — Release 15 onward. Uses enhanced OFDMA with flexible numerology. Deployed in Canadian cities since 2020.

📡 Why does this matter for cell towers? Every cell tower transmits on a specific channel number defined by 3GPP. For LTE, this is the EARFCN. For 5G NR, it is the NR-ARFCN. These numbers uniquely identify the exact frequency a tower is using, and are what your phone uses to tune to the correct channel.

What is an EARFCN?

EARFCN stands for E-UTRA Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number. It is a number defined by 3GPP (in TS 36.101) that uniquely identifies a specific radio frequency channel within the LTE (4G) spectrum. Instead of referring to a frequency like "1747.5 MHz", engineers and equipment use the EARFCN — a compact integer that encodes both the band and the exact centre frequency of the channel.

Every LTE base station (eNodeB) broadcasts its EARFCN in the Master Information Block (MIB) on the downlink. Your phone reads this number to know exactly which frequency to use for the uplink. Network planning tools, drive-test software, and spectrum analyzers all use EARFCNs as the primary way to identify LTE channels.

Downlink vs. Uplink EARFCN

LTE uses Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) on most bands — meaning the tower transmits (downlink) and the phone transmits (uplink) on different frequencies simultaneously. Each direction has its own EARFCN. The downlink EARFCN (DL EARFCN) is the one most commonly referenced, as it is what the tower broadcasts and what phones report in field test mode.

Some bands use Time Division Duplex (TDD), where uplink and downlink share the same frequency but alternate in time. TDD bands have a single EARFCN for both directions.

🔍 Tip: On Android, you can see your phone's current EARFCN by dialing *#*#4636#*#* and tapping "Phone Information". On iPhones, Field Test Mode (*3001#12345#*) shows similar information.

EARFCN Calculation Formula

The EARFCN is calculated from the carrier centre frequency using a simple linear formula defined in 3GPP TS 36.101 Table 5.7.3-1. Each E-UTRA band has its own offset values (N_Offs-DL and N_Offs-UL) and a reference frequency (F_{DL_low} / F_{UL_low}).

Downlink EARFCN (DL_EARFCN):
DL_EARFCN = N_Offs-DL + 10 × (F_DL − F_{DL_low})

Uplink EARFCN (UL_EARFCN):
UL_EARFCN = N_Offs-UL + 10 × (F_UL − F_{UL_low})

Reverse — Frequency from EARFCN:
F_DL (MHz) = F_{DL_low} + 0.1 × (DL_EARFCN − N_Offs-DL)

Worked Example — Band 4 (AWS-1), Canada

Band 4 is one of the most common LTE bands in Canada, used by Rogers, Bell, and Telus in the AWS-1 spectrum (1700/2100 MHz).

Band 4 parameters: F_{DL_low} = 2110 MHz, N_Offs-DL = 1200

Example: DL centre frequency = 2132.5 MHz
DL_EARFCN = 1200 + 10 × (2132.5 − 2110)
DL_EARFCN = 1200 + 10 × 22.5
DL_EARFCN = 1200 + 225 = 1425

Reverse check: F_DL = 2110 + 0.1 × (1425 − 1200) = 2110 + 22.5 = 2132.5 MHz ✓

⚙️ Channel spacing: LTE channels are spaced in 100 kHz steps (0.1 MHz), which is why the formula multiplies by 10 (to convert 0.1 MHz steps into integer EARFCN steps). A difference of 1 in EARFCN = 100 kHz difference in frequency.

LTE E-UTRA Band & EARFCN Table

The table below lists all major E-UTRA (LTE) bands as defined in 3GPP TS 36.101, with their downlink and uplink frequency ranges, duplex mode, EARFCN offset values, and EARFCN ranges. Bands used in Canada are highlighted. 🍁 CA = used in Canada.

Band	Common Name	DL Freq (MHz)	UL Freq (MHz)	Duplex	N_Offs-DL	DL EARFCN Range	N_Offs-UL	UL EARFCN Range	Canada
1	IMT / 2100	2110–2170	1920–1980	FDD	0	0–599	18000	18000–18599
2	PCS 1900	1930–1990	1850–1910	FDD	600	600–1199	18600	18600–19199	🍁 CA
3	DCS 1800	1805–1880	1710–1785	FDD	1200	1200–1949	19200	19200–19949
4	AWS-1	2110–2155	1710–1755	FDD	1950	1950–2399	19950	19950–20399	🍁 CA
5	850 CLR	869–894	824–849	FDD	2400	2400–2649	20400	20400–20649
7	IMT-E / 2600	2620–2690	2500–2570	FDD	2750	2750–3449	20750	20750–21449	🍁 CA
8	GSM 900	925–960	880–915	FDD	3450	3450–3799	21450	21450–21799
12	700 Lower A	729–746	699–716	FDD	5010	5010–5179	23010	23010–23179
13	700 Upper C	746–756	777–787	FDD	5180	5180–5279	23180	23180–23279
14	700 Upper D (PS)	758–768	788–798	FDD	5280	5280–5379	23280	23280–23379
17	700 Lower B	734–746	704–716	FDD	5730	5730–5849	23730	23730–23849	🍁 CA
20	800 DD	791–821	832–862	FDD	6150	6150–6449	24150	24150–24449
25	PCS + G Block	1930–1995	1850–1915	FDD	8040	8040–8689	26040	26040–26689
26	850 Extended	859–894	814–849	FDD	8690	8690–9039	26690	26690–27039
29	700 Lower DE (SDL)	717–728	N/A	SDL	9660	9660–9769	N/A	N/A	🍁 CA
30	2300 WCS	2350–2360	2305–2315	FDD	9770	9770–9869	27660	27660–27759
38	TD 2600	2570–2620	2570–2620	TDD	37750	37750–38249	37750	37750–38249
40	TD 2300	2300–2400	2300–2400	TDD	38650	38650–39649	38650	38650–39649
41	TD 2500 (BRS/EBS)	2496–2690	2496–2690	TDD	39650	39650–41589	39650	39650–41589	🍁 CA
42	TD 3500	3400–3600	3400–3600	TDD	41590	41590–43589	41590	41590–43589
43	TD 3700	3600–3800	3600–3800	TDD	43590	43590–45589	43590	43590–45589
66	AWS-3	2110–2200	1710–1780	FDD	66436	66436–67335	131972	131972–132671	🍁 CA
71	600 MHz	617–652	663–698	FDD	68586	68586–68935	132972	132972–133121	🍁 CA

Source: 3GPP TS 36.101 Table 5.7.3-1. SDL = Supplemental Downlink (downlink only). TDD bands share the same frequency for UL and DL.

5G NR — NR-ARFCN & Band Table

For 5G New Radio, 3GPP replaced EARFCN with NR-ARFCN (New Radio Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number), defined in 3GPP TS 38.101. The concept is the same — a single integer that identifies a specific radio frequency — but the formula and scale are different to accommodate 5G's much wider frequency range (from 410 MHz all the way to 52.6 GHz).

NR-ARFCN Formula

NR-ARFCN uses a global raster with three sub-ranges, each with a different channel step size (ΔF_Global):

F_REF (MHz) = F_REF-Offs + ΔF_Global × (N_REF − N_REF-Offs)

Sub-range 1: 0–3000 MHz → ΔF_Global = 5 kHz, N_REF: 0–599999
Sub-range 2: 3000–24250 MHz → ΔF_Global = 15 kHz, N_REF: 600000–2016666
Sub-range 3: 24250–100000 MHz → ΔF_Global = 60 kHz, N_REF: 2016667–3279165

📐 Key difference from EARFCN: NR-ARFCN uses a global numbering space — the same formula applies to all bands. EARFCN used per-band offsets. Also, 5G NR channels can be much wider (up to 400 MHz for mmWave), so the NR-ARFCN points to the centre of the channel, which may not align to a 100 kHz raster like LTE.

5G NR Band Table (FR1 — Sub-6 GHz)

FR1 (Frequency Range 1) covers sub-6 GHz bands. These are the bands used for most 5G deployments in Canada. 🍁 CA = used in Canada.

NR Band	Common Name	DL Freq (MHz)	UL Freq (MHz)	Duplex	DL NR-ARFCN Range	Canada
n1	IMT / 2100	2110–2170	1920–1980	FDD	422000–434000
n2	PCS 1900	1930–1990	1850–1910	FDD	386000–398000	🍁 CA
n3	DCS 1800	1805–1880	1710–1785	FDD	361000–376000
n5	850 CLR	869–894	824–849	FDD	173800–178800
n7	IMT-E / 2600	2620–2690	2500–2570	FDD	524000–538000	🍁 CA
n8	GSM 900	925–960	880–915	FDD	185000–192000
n12	700 Lower A	729–746	699–716	FDD	145800–149200
n13	700 Upper C	746–756	777–787	FDD	149200–151200
n20	800 DD	791–821	832–862	FDD	158200–164200
n25	PCS + G Block	1930–1995	1850–1915	FDD	386000–399000
n28	700 APT	758–803	703–748	FDD	151600–160600
n38	TD 2600	2570–2620	2570–2620	TDD	514000–524000
n40	TD 2300	2300–2400	2300–2400	TDD	460000–480000
n41	TD 2500 (BRS/EBS)	2496–2690	2496–2690	TDD	499200–537999	🍁 CA
n66	AWS-3	2110–2200	1710–1780	FDD	422000–440000	🍁 CA
n71	600 MHz	617–652	663–698	FDD	123400–130400	🍁 CA
n77	TD 3700 (C-Band)	3300–4200	3300–4200	TDD	620000–680000
n78	TD 3500 (C-Band)	3300–3800	3300–3800	TDD	620000–653333	🍁 CA
n79	TD 4500	4400–5000	4400–5000	TDD	693334–733333

5G NR Band Table (FR2 — mmWave)

FR2 (Frequency Range 2) covers millimetre-wave bands above 24 GHz. These offer very high speeds but extremely short range. Limited mmWave 5G exists in Canada in dense urban venues.

NR Band	Common Name	Freq Range (MHz)	Duplex	NR-ARFCN Range	Canada
n257	28 GHz	26500–29500	TDD	2054166–2104165	🍁 CA
n258	26 GHz	24250–27500	TDD	2016667–2070832
n260	39 GHz	37000–40000	TDD	2229166–2279165	🍁 CA
n261	28 GHz (US)	27500–28350	TDD	2070833–2084999	🍁 CA

Source: 3GPP TS 38.101-1 (FR1) and TS 38.101-2 (FR2). NR-ARFCN ranges are approximate; exact values depend on channel raster alignment.

Frequency Bands Used in Canada

Canadian carriers are licensed by ISED (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) to use specific frequency bands. The table below summarizes the key bands, their technology, and which carriers use them.

Frequency	LTE Band	NR Band	Technology	Carriers	Notes
600 MHz	B71	n71	LTE / 5G NR	Rogers, Bell, Telus, Freedom	Wide-area coverage; rural 5G
700 MHz (B17)	B17	—	LTE	Rogers, Bell, Telus	Lower 700 MHz block B; good building penetration
850 MHz	B5 / B26	—	LTE / HSPA	Rogers	Rogers legacy HSPA; some LTE
1900 MHz (PCS)	B2	n2	LTE / 5G NR	Rogers, Bell, Telus, Freedom	PCS band; widely used for LTE capacity
1700/2100 MHz (AWS-1)	B4	—	LTE	Rogers, Bell, Telus, Freedom	Most common LTE band in Canada
1700/2100 MHz (AWS-3)	B66	n66	LTE / 5G NR	Rogers, Bell, Telus	Auctioned 2015; supplements AWS-1
2500 MHz (BRS)	B41	n41	LTE / 5G NR	Rogers, Bell, Telus	Broadband Radio Service; TDD
2600 MHz	B7	n7	LTE / 5G NR	Rogers, Bell, Telus	High-capacity urban LTE
3500 MHz (C-Band)	—	n78	5G NR	Rogers, Bell, Telus, Freedom	Primary 5G band; auctioned 2021
28 GHz (mmWave)	—	n257 / n261	5G NR	Rogers, Bell, Telus	Ultra-high speed; very short range
39 GHz (mmWave)	—	n260	5G NR	Rogers, Bell, Telus	Dense urban venues only

🇨🇦 Canadian spectrum auctions: ISED manages spectrum licensing in Canada. Major recent auctions include the 600 MHz auction (2019), AWS-3 (2015), 2500 MHz (2015), and the landmark 3500 MHz (C-Band) auction in 2021 which enabled Canada's primary 5G rollout.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between EARFCN and ARFCN?

ARFCN (Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number) is the general term used across all 3GPP radio technologies. EARFCN is the LTE-specific version (E-UTRA ARFCN). UARFCN is the UMTS/3G version. NR-ARFCN is the 5G NR version. They all serve the same purpose — uniquely identifying a radio channel — but use different formulas and number ranges.

How do I find the EARFCN of a cell tower near me?

You can find your phone's current EARFCN using Android's built-in field test mode (dial *#*#4636#*#*) or third-party apps like Network Cell Info or CellMapper. The EARFCN tells you exactly which LTE channel your phone is connected to, which you can then look up in the band table above to determine the frequency and band.

Why does Band 4 have N_Offs-DL = 1950 but the EARFCN range starts at 1950?

The offset N_Offs-DL is the EARFCN value that corresponds to the lowest frequency in the band (F_{DL_low}). For Band 4, F_{DL_low} = 2110 MHz, so EARFCN 1950 = 2110 MHz. The range goes up to 2399, which corresponds to 2110 + 0.1×(2399−1950) = 2110 + 44.9 = 2154.9 MHz — just below the 2155 MHz upper edge of Band 4.

What is the most common EARFCN used in Canada?

The most commonly encountered EARFCNs in Canada are in Band 4 (AWS-1, range 1950–2399) and Band 7 (2600 MHz, range 2750–3449). Band 4 is the workhorse LTE band for Rogers, Bell, and Telus. Band 17 (700 MHz, range 5730–5849) is also very common as the coverage layer. Band 66 (AWS-3) is increasingly common as carriers deploy it for additional capacity.

What is the NR-ARFCN for Canada's primary 5G band (n78 / 3500 MHz)?

Band n78 covers 3300–3800 MHz. Using the NR-ARFCN formula for sub-range 2 (3000–24250 MHz, ΔF = 15 kHz): a centre frequency of 3550 MHz gives NR-ARFCN = 600000 + (3550−3000)/0.015 = 600000 + 36667 = 636667. Canadian carriers typically deploy n78 channels centred around 3500–3600 MHz, giving NR-ARFCNs in the 626667–640000 range.

What is Carrier Aggregation and how does it relate to EARFCNs?

Carrier Aggregation (CA) is an LTE-Advanced feature that allows a phone to simultaneously use multiple LTE channels (called Component Carriers) across different bands or within the same band. Each Component Carrier has its own EARFCN. For example, a phone might aggregate Band 4 (EARFCN ~1950) and Band 7 (EARFCN ~3050) simultaneously, effectively doubling throughput. Canadian carriers extensively use CA to boost speeds.

What is the difference between FDD and TDD in the band tables?

FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) uses separate frequencies for downlink (tower→phone) and uplink (phone→tower), transmitted simultaneously. TDD (Time Division Duplex) uses the same frequency for both directions but alternates in time slots. Most Canadian LTE bands are FDD. TDD bands (like Band 41 at 2500 MHz and Band n78 at 3500 MHz for 5G) are increasingly important for high-capacity deployments.

Where can I find the official 3GPP specifications?

All 3GPP specifications are freely available at 3gpp.org. The key documents for channel numbers are: TS 36.101 (LTE UE radio transmission — contains the EARFCN table) and TS 38.101-1/2 (5G NR UE radio transmission — contains the NR-ARFCN table). These are the authoritative sources for all values shown on this page.

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