EARFCN Calculator with Australian Band Overlay
Convert an LTE EARFCN to its carrier frequency and back for every E-UTRA band in 3GPP TS 36.101, with the Australian licensing position for the band.
Free to use. Sign up free to save, download and print.
Worked example: EARFCN 1575 to frequency
Downlink carrier frequency: 1842.5 MHz
Loading the EARFCN Calculator with Australian Band Overlay…
How it works
EARFCN to frequency formula
An EARFCN (E-UTRA Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number) names an LTE carrier centre on a 100 kHz raster. 3GPP TS 36.101 clause 5.7.3 gives the carrier frequency as the band's lowest frequency plus 0.1 MHz for every channel number above the band's offset, with separate channel numbers and offsets for the downlink and the uplink in Table 5.7.3-1.
Each band has its own block of channel numbers, so a channel number identifies its band. Bands overlap in frequency, so turning a frequency into a channel number needs the band as well. Channel numbers close to a band edge still convert to a frequency, but the wider carriers centred there would reach past the edge, and note 1 of Table 5.7.3-1 rules them out.
F_DL = F_DL_low + 0.1 (N_DL − N_Offs-DL)
F_UL = F_UL_low + 0.1 (N_UL − N_Offs-UL)
N = N_Offs + (F − F_low) / 0.1, a whole number inside the band's channel range
- F_DL, F_UL
- downlink and uplink carrier centre frequency, in MHz
- F_DL_low, F_UL_low
- the band's lowest frequency on that link, in MHz
- N_DL, N_UL
- the downlink or uplink channel number, the EARFCN
- N_Offs-DL, N_Offs-UL
- the band's channel number offset on that link, from Table 5.7.3-1
- 0.1
- the 100 kHz channel raster, in MHz
Standards
- 3GPP TS 36.101 (Release 17) Table 5.7.3-1: E-UTRA channel numbers, and its note 1 on channels near the band edges
- TS 36.101 Table 5.6.1-1: E-UTRA channel bandwidths per band
- TS 36.101 clause 5.7.3: F = F_low + 0.1 (N − N_Offs) on a 100 kHz channel raster
- TS 36.101 Table 5.5-1: E-UTRA operating bands
- TS 36.101 Table 7.3.1-1: UE reference sensitivity
- ACMA RALI MS 34, MS 41, MS 47, MS 50 and SM 26 for the Australian overlay
- Radiocommunications Licence Conditions (Fixed Licence) Determination 2025 and the 3.4 GHz Advisory Guidelines 2025
Worked example
Worked example: EARFCN 1575 to frequency
A drive test log reports downlink EARFCN 1575, and you need its carrier frequency.
| Step | Working | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Band | downlink channels 1200 to 1949, F_DL_low 1805 MHz, N_Offs-DL 1200 | Band 3 |
| Channels above the offset | 1575 − 1200 | 375 |
| Raster steps | 0.1 × 375 | 37.5 MHz |
| Downlink carrier frequency | 1805 + 37.5 | 1842.5 MHz |
The uplink uses band 3's own numbers: uplink channel 19575 is 1710 + 0.1 × (19575 − 19200) = 1747.5 MHz. The other way round, 1842.5 MHz in band 3 gives back 1575, and 1842.55 MHz gives no channel number because it is off the 100 kHz raster. Channel 1575 can carry every channel bandwidth band 3 lists, 1.4 to 20 MHz; channel 1200, on the lower band edge, can carry none.
What is an EARFCN?
EARFCN stands for E-UTRA Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number. It is the number LTE equipment, UE logs and vendor configurations use for a carrier centre, one number for each 100 kHz step. Each band has its own block of numbers for the downlink and for the uplink in 3GPP TS 36.101 Table 5.7.3-1: band 3 uses 1200 to 1949 on the downlink and 19200 to 19949 on the uplink.
What formula does the calculator use?
It uses F = F_low + 0.1 (N − N_Offs) from 3GPP TS 36.101 clause 5.7.3, where F_low and N_Offs are the band's lowest frequency and channel offset from Table 5.7.3-1. The same relationship is applied separately for the uplink and downlink.
Why are several bands listed for one frequency?
E-UTRA bands overlap, so a single frequency can sit in several bands. The calculator lists all of them, and which one applies depends on the equipment and the licence rather than the arithmetic.
What does "not assessed" mean in the Australian overlay?
It means no document held for the overlay establishes a licensing position for that band. It is not a statement that the band is unavailable, and it is deliberately not a statement that it is available. Check the arrangement with the ACMA documents before acting on it.
Where does the Australian overlay come from?
It is curated from ACMA documents: RALI MS 34, MS 41, MS 47, MS 50 and SM 26, the Radiocommunications Licence Conditions (Fixed Licence) Determination 2025 and the 3.4 GHz Advisory Guidelines 2025. Each statement names its source so it can be checked. The overlay is a guide to those documents, and the ACMA decides whether a licence is issued.
Can I use it outside Australia?
Yes. The conversion, band identification and band details apply to every E-UTRA band worldwide. Only the licensing overlay is specific to Australia.
Related
Related tools
-
Private Cellular Network PlannerComing soon -
LTE Link Budget & MAPL CalculatorPrivate Cellular -
LTE Coexistence & ACIR CalculatorPrivate Cellular
Sign up free to keep your work.
Free to use. Saving, downloading and printing need a free account.