RFFR1 vs FR2 vs LTE: Key Differences in 5G & 4G Spectrum
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Introduction : FR1 and FR2 are used in 5G technology where as LTE is 4G technology used as foundation for 5G. FR1 (Frequency Range 1) covers sub-6 GHz bands used in 5G and earlier, FR2 refers to millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum in 5G. This web page explores technical differences in terms of coverage, propagation, capacity, deployment etc.
| Aspect | FR1 (5G Sub-6GHz) | FR2(5G mmWave) | LTE (4G) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency Range | ~ 450 MHz to 6000 MHz | ~ 24.25 to 52.6 GHz | Operates within sub 6 GHz bands (various LTE bands) |
| Bandwidth/Channel Size | Supports moderate BWs upto 100 MHz | Supports wide BWs (50, 100, 200, 400 MHz) | Supports BWs up to 20 MHz (1.5, 3, 5, 10, 20 MHz) |
| Duplex mode | FDD, TDD | TDD | FDD, TDD |
| Subcarrier Spacing | 15, 30, 60 KHz | 60, 120 KHz | 15 KHz |
| MIMO | DL : 8x8, UL : 4x4 | DL : 2x2, UL : 2x2 | Same as FR1 |
| MIMO Method | Spatial Multiplexing for higher throughput | Beamforming for better SNR | Same as FR1 |
| Radio Frame | 10 ms | 10 ms | 10 ms |
| Subframe duration | 1 ms | 1 ms | 1 ms |
| Modulation | Pi/2-BPSK, BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, 256QAM | Same as FR1 | QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM in both direction |
| Access | DL : CP-OFDM, UL : CP-OFDM, DFT-s-OFDM | Same as FR1 | DL : OFDMA, UL : SC-FDMA |
| Carrier Aggregation | 16 carriers maximum | Same as FR1 | 5 carriers (1PCC+4SCC) |
| Latency/Throughput potential | Lower than LTE, but not as low as FR2; good balance between throughput and coverage | Very low latency, very high throughput | Higher latency, lower maximum throughput compared to 5G NR FR1 & FR2 |
| Complexity/cost | Moderate; similar to LTE in many cases | High | Lower |
| Spectral efficiency/Capacity | Moderate | Very high | Decent spectral efficiency for LTE era, but lower than NR |
| Propagation/Coverage | Better propagation, deeper penetration through obstacles, long range | High Pass Loss, limited range, poor penetration (through walls, objects) | Good propagation in sub 6 GHz, similar to FR1 in many cases |
| Deployment Use Cases | Macro/Wide area coverage, rural/suburban, indoor coverage | Hotspots, densification, stadiums, indoor high capacity zones, urban microcells | General mobile broadband, fallback / coverage, baseline nationwide coverage |
Conclusion: FR1 offers balanced coverage and maturity, FR2 unlocks ultra-high throughput in dense zones (at a cost of limited range) and LTE still plays a vital role in coverage and fallback. A hybrid strategy making use of all three as desired is often the most realistic approach in wireless network deployment.
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