What are Frequency bands?
Phones communicate with mobile towers using radio waves, like how a television works. As our cities are flooded with waves from radio, television, wifi and other devices, governments strictly control the frequencies on which mobile phones are allowed to operate. These are known as frequency bands. If you wish to use your phone overseas, or with different carriers, it is important to ensure your device supports as many frequency bands as possible.
Australian Frequency Bands
Australia's three major carriers currently share the majority of frequency bands, but there are some key differences.
Telstra (Boost, Aldi, Belong etc)
Telstra and resellers use a wide variety of bands in the 3G/4G spectrum. To ensure the best coverage, make sure your device supports the following bands.
3G - 850 Mhz, 2100 Mhz
4G - 2100Mhz (B1), 1800Mhz (B3), 2600Mhz (B7), 900Mhz (B8), 700Mhz (B28).
Optus (Amaysim, Virgin, Dodo etc)
Optus uses almost the same bands as Telstra with the addition of the 2300 Mhz and the removal of 900 Mhz. To ensure the best coverage, make sure your device supports the following bands.
3G - 900 Mhz, 2100 Mhz
4G - 2100Mhz (B1), 1800Mhz (B3), 2600Mhz (B7), 700Mhz (B28), 2300Mhz (B40)
Vodafone (TPG, Kogan, Lebara etc)
Vodafone uses different bands than Telstra or Optus. To ensure the best coverage, make sure your device supports the following bands.
3G - 900 Mhz, 2100 Mhz
4G - 2100Mhz (B1), 1800Mhz (B3), 850Mhz (B5)
International Frequency Bands
If travelling overseas it is very important to ensure your mobile device supports the correct bands for the countries you are visiting. For the most up to date coverage, please check https://www.frequencycheck.com/
