For quite a decade, since the widespread use of the mobile , North American mobile carriers used one, or both of the Cellular 850 MHz and PCS 1900 MHz frequency bands to hold their voice and data. Purchasing a mobile signal booster for your home was fairly simple 10 years ago as AT&T and Verizon just about used 850 MHz for everything in most states and PCS carriers like Sprint and T-Mobile used 1900 MHz. If you wanted to hide all carriers and data technologies, you merely purchased a dual band (850/1900 MHz) booster and every one was well. While that’s still somewhat the case, with the emergence of 3G, 4G, AWS, WiMax, LTE, etc. there’s simply not enough space within the 850 and 1900 MHz spectrums to handle all of today’s mobile technologies. Today, almost all carriers have branched out from the normal dual band ranges to work a minimum of a number of their technologies in other spectrums.
The purpose of this text is to offer you a basic overview of a number of the main carriers, which frequencies they use, and which technologies those frequencies are used for. Hopefully this may aid in your comprehension of mobile phone signal booster all networks and which one could also be right for your application. Please note that this text is from July 2013 and therefore the information below may not be completely accurate at the time of reading.
AT&T
AT&T’s voice ( 2G), 3G and HSPA+ (4G) networks operate 850 or 1900 MHz across the us . So if you’re just looking to spice up these technologies, a standard dual band mobile signal booster will suffice. it’s important to notice that HSPA+ or High Speed Packet Access Plus is AT&T’s 3G network with enhanced backhaul that has been marketed as 4G. it’s not 4G LTE, which has been a source of confusion for several of our customers. If your phone, tablet, MiFi, etc. shows “4G” next to the signal bars, then you’re on the HSPA+ network. If your phone, tablet, MiFi, etc. shows “LTE” next to the signal bars then you’re on the LTE network. AT&T 4G LTE runs on the 700 MHz band on bands 4 and 17. it’s important to notice that AT&T 4G LTE is for data only. Phone calls and text messages are still transmitted on the 850 or 1900 MHz band. So, if you are looking to spice up AT&T 4G LTE data only, search for a booster labeled specifically for AT&T 4G LTE. If you would like to spice up voice, 2G, 3G, 4G and AT&T 4G LTE data then you’ll got to search for an AT&T Tri-Band booster which supports 850 MHz, 1900 MHz, and 700 MHz bands 4 and 17 (AT&T 4G LTE).
Verizon
Verizon’s voice (2G) and 3G (EVDO) networks operate 850 or 1900 MHz across the us . In most states, 850 MHz is employed for voice and 1900 MHz is employed for data. If you’re just looking to spice up voice calls, text messages and 3G data, look no further than a standard dual band mobile signal booster. Verizon 4G LTE, like AT&T 4G LTE, operates in 700 MHz spectrum, but on band 13. even as with AT&T, if you are looking to spice up Verizon 4G LTE data only, search for a booster made specifically for Verizon 4G LTE. If you would like to spice up , voice, 3G, and 4G LTE data you’ll got to search for a Verizon Tri-Band booster which supports 850 MHz, 1900 MHz, and 700 MHz band 13 (Verizon 4G LTE).
Sprint
Sprint’s 2G and 3G networks on the normal dual band frequencies nationwide, although mostly 1900 MHz. it’s increasingly difficult to seek out a PCS only residential booster, so your best bet may be a traditional dual band booster. Sprint’s first generation of 4G ran within the Wimax band (2.5 GHz) and remains widely deployed. Recently, Sprint has launched its 4G LTE network which runs on a mixture of Wimax and 1900 MHz, and soon, a neighborhood of the 800 band, which was previously dedicated for Nextel/iDEN. Your best bet for Sprint 4G data at this point is to call customer service and ask which frequencies they’re using in your area for the technology you’re curious about boosting. If Wimax is employed in your area, a Sprint 4G Wimax booster is what you would like . There are currently no boosters on the marketplace for Sprint 4G LTE which can initially be deployed on the G block of the 1900 MHz Spectrum.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile runs on 1900 MHz for voice, 2G, and text messaging. Again, with it being hard to seek out a top quality residential PCS only mobile signal booster, a dual band booster is that the thanks to go. T-Mobile’s 3G and 4G HSPA+ networks run on the AWS or Advanced Wireless Services band (1700MHz / 2100 MHz) but are within the process of being transitioned to the 1900 MHz band to form way for his or her LTE network, which can operate the AWS band. At the time of this writing, choose a dual band booster for voice and 2G data. If you are looking to spice up 3 or 4G data, it’s best to call customer service to ascertain which spectrum is getting used for 3 or 4G data in your area before purchasing a booster. Like with the opposite major carriers, boosting 3 or 4G AWS data would require a booster specifically labeled for AWS. If you’re lucky enough to measure in a neighborhood where T-Mobile has already transitioned their 3 and 4G networks to 1900 MHz, a standard dual band booster will now work for not only voice and 2G data, but 3 and 4G data also . If you are looking for a booster which can cover everything T-Mobile has got to offer (including 4G LTE), regardless of where you reside or what frequencies are in use, you’ll want to seem at a T-Mobile Tri-Band booster.
MetroPCS
MetroPCS uses 1900 MHz for voice calls. a number of their 3G service is obtainable on 1900 MHz while in some areas it runs on the AWS band (1700/2100 MHz). The AWS band is additionally used for his or her 4G LTE network. If looking to spice up Metro PCS voice only, a standard dual band booster will work. If looking to spice up 3G data, it’s best to call customer service first to seek out out what frequency they’re using for your area. If looking to spice up MetroPCS 4G LTE, you’ll need an AWS booster. If you are looking for a booster which can cover everything MetroPCS has got to offer (including 4G LTE), regardless of where you reside or what frequencies are in use, you’ll want to seem at a Tri-Band booster which incorporates 850/1900 and AWS frequencies.
Cricket Wireless
Cricket uses 1900 MHz for voice calls. Cricket’s 3G data service utilizes the Sprint 3G CDMA network. So, if looking to spice up voice and 3G data for Cricket, a standard dual band booster is all that’s needed. Cricket also owns some AWS spectrum on which they provide their 4G LTE service. If looking to spice up Cricket 4G LTE you’ll need an AWS booster
So now that you simply are armed with the main carrier frequency and technology information, your decision on which mobile signal booster you would like to get should be easier.