With 20+ years of telecom experience, Solution Sales Engineer Sam Myers is Hyperion's go-to wireline and wireless solutions expert. Myers started on the ground floor of the industry with telecom installations. He quickly worked his way from installations to wireline and then eventually made his way to wireless-focused engineering. Myers specializes in strategic customer support, delivering tailored wireless, connectivity, hardware, IoT and carrier network solutions each and every day.
When Myers designs a unique solution for a customer, he considers all of the factors including location, distance from a tower, LTE bands supported by a carrier network and more. LTE band/latency knowledge is crucial to determine the correct hardware for customers (ie. external antennas, etc.), application functions and download speeds. Selecting these factors correctly drive Myers’ ultimate goal of maximum customer satisfaction.
LTE bands or “bands” visually look a lot like rubber bands. Check this out ⬇️
Whether or not that is how they got their name, it is a great way to remember exactly what they are. A band is a range of frequencies within a specific signal. Bands can be described as low, mid and high. As demonstrated above, low-band frequency waves can travel extremely far, while high band frequencies can only reach short, concentrated distances. It is also important to note that while low-band and mid-band frequencies can easily pass through walls and other objects, high bands cannot.
When explaining how bands are used, it helps to understand that each cellular band consists of multiple cellular channels/blocks. Cellular channels have “uplink” and “downlink” portions that connect cell phones to towers via transmission. While some carriers tend to focus on choosing bands that make downlink speeds faster (hence, faster downloads), most carriers want balanced uplink and downlink speeds (balanced connectivity) for their customers.
The telecom industry is unique in the fact that while national governments control the allocation and use of bands, each carrier uses differing bands and frequencies. There is some overlap between carrier bands, so the easiest way to describe which carriers utilize which bands is to show you examples based on the major carriers current set ups.
You may have noticed there is a difference between 4G bands and 5G bands. Please check out our article 4G vs 5G: An unbiased analysis for a deeper dive into the 4G vs. 5G debate.
As industry leaders and problem solvers, we have experts nationwide who strategically source unique and tailored mobility solutions for our partners and customers. With our knowledge of which bands are most optimal for each area of the country, we will guide you to the perfect bands and equipment for your business.
If you’d like LTE bands explained to you further, contact us today. Or, click here if you're interested in partnering with us.
