Select Spectrum and Access Spectrum Announce Upper 700 MHz A Block Becomes Official 4G/5G NB-IoT Band 103Learn More

Upper 700 MHz A Block

Select Spectrum offers licensed spectrum in the Upper 700 MHz A Block. The band is ideal for LTE Narrowband-Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Distribution Automation (DA), and many other Voice and Data applications and is predominantly used by electric utilities, petrochemical firms, and rail line organizations.

The Upper 700 MHz A block has been standardized by 3GPP for NB-IoT, designated as Band 103, for 4G and 5G services. Inclusion within the 3GPP standard will promote wide ecosystem adoption by chipset, module and base station manufacturers.

Please see the information below and review our Upper 700 MHz A Block Spectrum Summary to learn more about the availability of this spectrum and further details regarding compatible equipment and technical specifications. To view our Spectrum Summary, please click the link below to view and download (PDF).

Spectrum Summary Utilities Summary Rail Summary

Overview

Upper 700 MHz A Block
Upper 700 MHz A Block - Band Plan

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    Industries and Applications

  1. Industries

    1. Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISP)
    2. Utilities
    3. Rail
    4. Industrial Water Treatment
    5. Oil, Gas and Pipeline Monitoring & Control
    6. Agriculture
    7. Public Safety

    Applications

    1. Internet of Things (IoT)
    2. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)
    3. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)
    4. Positive Train Control (PTC)
    5. Distribution Automation (DA)
    6. Land Mobile Radio (LMR)
    7. Smart City
    8. 4G/LTE
    9. 5G
    10. Private 4G/5G

    2. Compatible Standards

    1. IEEE 802.16s
    2. LTE Narrowband IoT

Benefits of Upper 700 MHz Spectrum

LTE Narrowband Internet of Things (LTE NB-IoT) - Band 103

Low-band spectrum conforming to global 3GPP standards leverages excellent propagation and range, connecting up to thousands of low-cost devices with long battery life.

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Developed Ecosystem Supporting Key Applications

Over a dozen manufacturers support mission-critical applications, including Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition (SCADA), Land Mobile Radio (LMR), and Distribution Automation (DA).

Ideal for the Electric & Gas Utility Industry

Nineteen utilities have acquired spectrum rights in their service areas, constructing private utility owned Filed Area Networks and Point-to-Point connections, archiving minimal signal interference.

700 MHz A Block Deployments By Vendor

    1. Northwestern Energy
    2. Idaho Power
    3. Puget Sound Energy
    4. Avista
    5. CenterPoint
    6. Oncor
    7. National Grid
    8. CHSRA
    9. West Farmers Electrical Coop
    10. Dawson PPD
    11. Enterprise Products: 4RF/GE (Mix)

    1. First Energy
    2. Power South
    3. Perennial PPD
    4. South Central PPD
    5. Loup PPD
    6. Norris PPD
    7. Enterprise Products: 4RF/GE (Mix)

    1. Salt River Project
    2. Portland General Electric
    3. Navopache
    4. Great River Energy

    1. Gulf of Mexico & Various Gulf Parishes (LA) & Counties (TX)
    2. Alaska

    1. Jacksonville Florida
    2. Nashville Electric Service

More Information

  1. Read More
    700 MHz/2.3 GHz Propagation Comparison Study

    Select Spectrum – 700 MHz/2.3 GHz Propagation Comparison Study

    This study by Afterimage shows that a system built with the Upper 700 MHz A Block covers 95% of a 100 square mile area using only 25 towers. With 2.3 GHz, and 57 towers, only 75% coverage is obtained.

  2. UTC – 700 MHz A Block Good Neighbor Policy (White Paper)

    This policy document is meant to be a guideline of practices for all users of the 700 MHz A block spectrum to help alleviate interference with other nearby users.

    UTC – The Utilities Telecom Council White Paper On Upper 700 MHz A Block Spectrum

    RR Media Group – Critical Infrastructure Firms Purchase 700 MHz A Block Spectrum

  3. Case Study

    MiMOMax –

    1. Great River Energy
    2. Navopache Electric
    3. Salt River Project

    UTC – Salt River 700 MHz Field Test Report

  1. UTC Telecom & Technology 2020: Upper 700 MHz A Block Roundtable

  2. Developments in 700 MHz A Block Spectrum at UTC Region 3

Request a Quote

  1. For more information, please contact:

    Robert Finch

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