LTE Frequency Bands in India

This page covers LTE frequency bands used in India and lists 4G LTE phones available in India. It also mentions the Indian telecom operators that offer 4G LTE service, such as Airtel, Aircel, Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd, and Vodafone.

Currently in India, 4G LTE band 40, which uses the 2300 to 2400 MHz frequency range (TD-LTE), is active and offered by telecom operators within the Indian territory.

The other LTE band in 1800 MHz (FDD-LTE) frequency has also been auctioned by the Indian government. However, this LTE band is currently not being offered for LTE service by any telecom operators.

The 100MHz bandwidth of Band 40, spanning from 2300MHz to 2400MHz, is shared between downlink and uplink transmissions.

Downlink refers to transmissions from the eNB (evolved Node B, i.e., base station) to the UE (User Equipment, i.e., mobile user), while uplink refers to transmissions from the UE to the eNB.

As we know, there are two main topologies in LTE technology: LTE TDD (or TD-LTE) and LTE FDD. TDD stands for Time Division Duplex, and FDD stands for Frequency Division Duplex.

In TDD, a single frequency is used at different times for both uplink and downlink. In FDD, two separate frequencies are allocated, one for uplink and one for downlink. This allows for simultaneous transmissions in both directions.

Indian Telecom Operators Offering 4G LTE Service

In India, four major telecom operators are leading the way in providing LTE service:

• Airtel
• Aircel
• Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd
• Vodafone

Airtel was the first to introduce LTE service in India, using the 2300 MHz TD-LTE band. Aircel is the second operator to provide LTE service using the same 2300MHz TD-LTE band. Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd is planning to launch 4G LTE services in both TD-LTE (2300MHz) and FD-LTE (1800MHz) frequency bands. Vodafone also intends to offer LTE service in the FDD-LTE frequency band (1800MHz).

4G LTE Phones in India

As we know, the LTE standard supports various frequency bands depending on frequency allocations in different countries.

Before buying a 4G LTE phone in India, it’s essential to know which LTE frequency bands are available in India and supported by the Indian telecom operators. As currently, only the TD-LTE 2300 band is active, you need to purchase an LTE phone that supports this band.

Some LTE phones support both of these frequency bands. Buying these phones will ensure support for the current TD-LTE band and the FDD-LTE band once it becomes available.

The following table lists 4G LTE phones in India that can be used by users:

Reliance Jio Bands and Bandwidth

The following table mentions Reliance Jio 4G Bands, Jio Frequencies, and Jio Bandwidths supported to provide 4G LTE services in India.