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Physics · Ch 15 — Communication Systems

Bandwidth of Transmission Medium

15.5

Bandwidth of Transmission Medium

Bandwidth of Transmission Medium

Just as a signal occupies a certain bandwidth, a transmission medium can only carry a certain bandwidth.

  • Wire media, such as coaxial cable, offer a usable bandwidth of roughly 750 MHz and are normally operated at frequencies below 18 GHz.
  • Free space (radio-wave propagation) offers an extremely wide range, from a few hundred kHz to a few GHz. Because this range must be shared by many services, it is divided up and allocated internationally, as summarised below.

Table 15.2 - Some Important Wireless Communication Frequency Bands

ServiceFrequency bandsComments
Standard AM broadcast540-1600 kHz
FM broadcast88-108 MHz
Television54-72 MHzVHF (very high frequencies)
76-88 MHzTV
174-216 MHzUHF (ultra high frequencies)
420-890 MHzTV
Cellular Mobile Radio896-901 MHzMobile to base station
840-935 MHzBase station to mobile
Satellite Communication5.925-6.425 GHzUplink
3.7-4.2 GHzDownlink
Table 15.2Some Important Wireless Communication Frequency Bands
ServiceFrequency bandsComments
Standard AM broadcast540-1600 kHz
FM broadcast88-108 MHz
Television54-72 MHzVHF (very high frequencies)
76-88 MHzTV
174-216 MHzUHF (ultra high frequencies)
420-890 MHzTV
Cellular Mobile Radio896-901 MHzMobile to base station
840-935 MHzBase station to mobile