Band 7 (2600 MHz)
Understanding Band 7
The 2600 MHz allocation provides the highest-capacity sub-3 GHz spectrum available for FDD LTE. With 70 MHz of paired bandwidth, three or four operators can each hold 15 to 20 MHz, enough for a wide LTE carrier with 4×4 MIMO delivering 100+ Mbps peak throughput. The additional 50 MHz TDD center gap (Band 38) provides supplemental downlink capacity for operators that hold both FDD and TDD licenses in the band.
Band 7's higher frequency means smaller cell radius compared to Bands 1, 3, or 20, making it a poor choice for rural coverage but excellent for urban capacity. European operators typically deploy a three-layer network: Band 20 (800 MHz) for coverage anchor, Band 3 (1800 MHz) for mid-range, and Band 7 (2600 MHz) for dense urban hotspots. Carrier aggregation combines all three layers to provide both coverage and throughput.
Band 7 Technical Parameters
UL (FDD): 2500 – 2570 MHz (70 MHz)
TDD gap (Band 38): 2570 – 2620 MHz (50 MHz)
DL (FDD): 2620 – 2690 MHz (70 MHz)
Total: 190 MHz
Path Loss (3GPP urban macro):
PL = 130.2 + 37.6 log(dkm) dB at 2.6 GHz
1 km: 130.2 dB | 2 km: 141.5 dB
vs. Band 3: +3.2 dB more loss
vs. Band 20: +10.2 dB more loss
Capacity (20 MHz, 4×4 MIMO, 256-QAM):
Peak DL: ~100 Mbps per carrier
2600 MHz Global Deployment
| Region | Band Used | Operators | Application |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | B7 FDD + B38 TDD | All major MNOs | Urban capacity |
| Latin America | B7 FDD | América Móvil, Telefónica | Capacity layer |
| India | B41 TDD | Jio, Airtel | TDD capacity |
| US | B41 TDD | T-Mobile (ex-Sprint) | 5G NR n41 |
| China | B41 TDD | China Mobile | LTE-TDD + NR |
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the 2600 MHz band structured?
190 MHz total: Band 7 FDD UL (2500 to 2570 MHz, 70 MHz), Band 38 TDD center gap (2570 to 2620 MHz, 50 MHz), and Band 7 FDD DL (2620 to 2690 MHz, 70 MHz). Some countries allocate the entire band as TDD (Band 41). Operators typically hold 20 MHz paired FDD plus optional TDD spectrum.
What are the propagation characteristics of 2600 MHz?
Cell radius 0.5 to 1.5 km urban. Path loss is 3.2 dB higher than 1800 MHz and 10 dB higher than 800 MHz. Building penetration loss is 18 to 25 dB. Band 7 is always paired with low-band coverage (Band 20, 8, or 28) via carrier aggregation. A typical European deployment uses B20 + B3 + B7 as three capacity tiers.
How does Band 7 compare to Band 41 and C-band?
Band 7 (FDD) and Band 41 (TDD) overlap in frequency but differ in duplex mode. Band 7 dominates outside the US; Band 41 dominates in the US. C-band (3.5 GHz) has 2.8 to 3.0 dB more path loss but more total bandwidth (up to 400 MHz). Band 7/41 covers ~30% more area per cell than C-band at similar EIRP.