LTE EARFCN to Frequency Conversion Explained

This document explains the conversion between LTE EARFCN (E-UTRA Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number) and frequency. It provides formulas, calculators, and tables to facilitate this conversion. We will cover both downlink and uplink EARFCN calculations.

Understanding LTE EARFCN

LTE EARFCN is a number ranging from 0 to 65535 used to identify a specific frequency channel in the LTE spectrum. The relationships between EARFCN and carrier frequency (in MHz) are given by the formulas below.

LTE EARFCN to Frequency Formula

The following equations define the relationship between EARFCN and frequency:

  • Downlink Frequency:

    Fdownlink=FDL_Low+0.1(NDLNDL_Offset)F_{downlink} = F_{DL\_Low} + 0.1 \cdot (N_{DL} - N_{DL\_Offset})

  • Uplink Frequency:

    Fuplink=FUL_Low+0.1(NULNUL_Offset)F_{uplink} = F_{UL\_Low} + 0.1 \cdot (N_{UL} - N_{UL\_Offset})

Where:

  • NDLN_{DL} is the downlink EARFCN
  • NULN_{UL} is the uplink EARFCN
  • NDL_OffsetN_{DL\_Offset} is the offset used to calculate downlink EARFCN
  • NUL_OffsetN_{UL\_Offset} is the offset used to calculate uplink EARFCN
  • FDL_LowF_{DL\_Low} is the lowest downlink frequency (MHz)
  • FUL_LowF_{UL\_Low} is the lowest uplink frequency (MHz)

The following table shows the EARFCN to frequency conversion for both the downlink and uplink directions in an LTE network. You can also use an EARFCN calculator to avoid manual calculations.

EARFCN to Frequency Conversion Table

E-UTRA bandFDL_LowF_{DL\_Low} (MHz)NDL_OffsetN_{DL\_Offset}Downlink EARFCN (NDLN_{DL})FUL_LowF_{UL\_Low} (MHz)NUL_OffsetN_{UL\_Offset}Uplink EARFCN (NULN_{UL})
1211000-59919201800018000-18599
21930600600-119918501860018600-19199
3180512001200-194917101920019200-19949
4211019501950-239917101995019950-20399
586924002400-26498242040020400-20649
687526502650-27498302065020650-20749
7262027502750-344925002075020750-21449
892534503450-37998802145021450-21799
91844.938003800-41491749.92180021800-22149
10211041504150-474917102215022150-22749
111475.947504750-49991427.92275022750-22999
1272850005000-51796982300023000-23179
1374651805180-52797772318023180-23279
1475852805280-53797882328023280-23379

LTE EARFCN to Frequency Conversion Calculator

Visit following link below to try our LTE calculator to calculate frequency as per LTE EARFCN input provided.