5G Frequency Bands Used by Indian Telecom Operators: Jio, Airtel, Vi, and BSNL

India is the world’s second-largest telecommunications market, with over 1.1 billion mobile subscriptions. Behind every call and every gigabyte of data is a licensed slice of radio spectrum – a frequency band. Knowing which operator uses which band helps you understand why signal strength varies indoors and outdoors, which phone bands matter when buying a new device, and how each operator has built its network differently.

This article covers the 4G LTE and 5G NR frequency bands used by Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea (Vi), and BSNL in India.

Key Takeaways

• India’s 4G bands: Indian operators primarily use Band 3 (1800 MHz), Band 40 (2300 MHz), Band 8 (900 MHz), and Band 5 (850 MHz) for 4G LTE services.
• India’s 5G bands: The primary 5G mid-band in India is n78 (3300–3670 MHz). Jio additionally uses n28 (700 MHz) for low-band 5G coverage. mmWave (n258, 26 GHz) is deployed in select dense locations.
• Jio’s advantage: Jio holds the widest mid-band 5G spectrum (100 MHz in n78) and is the only operator with pan-India low-band 5G deployment at 700 MHz (n28), giving it a strong indoor and rural coverage edge.
• Airtel’s strength: Airtel holds the most diverse spectrum portfolio across bands and leads in Quality of Experience (QoE) metrics. It uses n40 (2300 MHz) as a dedicated 5G capacity layer, DSS on 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz for coverage, and holds n258 mmWave spectrum for dense locations.
• Vi’s status: Vi holds n78 spectrum (50 MHz) in select top circles and has commercially launched 5G, though its footprint is smaller than Jio and Airtel.
• BSNL’s status: BSNL uses Band 28B (700 MHz) for its 4G network. It has soft-launched 5G FWA services on 700 MHz and 3.3 GHz in select cities, with a commercial mobile 5G launch in Delhi targeted for mid-to-late 2026. Its allocated 5G spectrum covers 700 MHz, 900 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz.
• Phone-buying tip: For full 4G and 5G compatibility across all Indian operators, look for devices that support B3, B8, B28, B40 (4G) and n28, n78 (5G). n1 and n3 support is desirable for Airtel compatibility, though n28 and n78 remain the most important 5G bands for India.

Understanding Frequency Bands: A Quick Overview

A frequency band is a defined range of radio spectrum that a telecom operator is licensed to use for transmitting voice and data. In mobile networks, bands are standardised by 3GPP — the body that defines LTE and 5G NR specifications globally.

Each band carries different propagation characteristics:

• Low-band (below 1 GHz): Travels long distances, penetrates buildings well, lower peak data speeds. Best for rural coverage and indoor penetration.
• Mid-band (1–6 GHz): A balance of coverage area and data capacity. The primary working band for both 4G and 5G.
• High-band / mmWave (above 24 GHz): Extremely high speeds and low latency, but very limited range. Suitable only for high-density indoor or outdoor hotspots.

Indian telecom operators hold spectrum across multiple bands in each of the 22 licensed telecom circles (service areas) across the country.

FDD vs TDD — What Does It Mean?

FDD (Frequency Division Duplex): Uses separate frequency blocks for uplink (device to tower) and downlink (tower to device). Better suited for voice and symmetric traffic.

TDD (Time Division Duplex): Uses the same frequency block for both uplink and downlink, alternating between them in time slots. More flexible for high-volume data traffic.

Spectrum Bands Available in India

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has auctioned spectrum across the following bands for 4G and 5G use:

1. Reliance Jio

Jio launched in 2016 as a data-only, LTE-native operator — it never built a 2G or 3G network. This gave it the flexibility to build a cleaner, modern spectrum portfolio from scratch.

Jio 4G LTE Bands

Jio uses Band 3 (1800 MHz) as the primary anchor for VoLTE calls and general coverage, while Band 40 (2300 MHz) carries the bulk of data traffic due to its wide TDD channel widths. Jio does not use Band 28 (700 MHz) for 4G LTE — it acquired the full pan-India 10 MHz block at the 2022 auction and reserved it exclusively for its 5G Standalone (SA) network.

Jio’s carrier policy is configured to move active data users onto Band 40 and keep Band 3 for idle or VoLTE sessions — this reduces congestion on the higher-capacity TDD carrier.

Jio 5G NR Bands

Jio was the first operator in India to launch a Standalone (SA) 5G network — branded JioTrue 5G — in October 2022.

n28 (700 MHz): This is Jio’s biggest coverage advantage in 5G. The 700 MHz signal travels further and penetrates walls and buildings more effectively than 3.5 GHz. No other Indian operator has deployed 5G at this frequency at comparable scale, making Jio’s indoor 5G signal notably stronger in covered areas.

n78 (3500 MHz): Jio holds 100 MHz of mid-band spectrum in most top circles — the widest mid-band allocation among Indian operators. More bandwidth directly means higher peak data speeds for 5G users.

n258 (26 GHz mmWave): Deployed in select high-density locations such as airports, stadiums, and commercial hubs. Range is very limited, but throughput can reach several gigabits per second.

Architecture: Jio deployed a pure SA 5G core from day one. This enables features like 5G voice calls, network slicing, and true low latency — without any dependency on the 4G LTE anchor.

Coverage: Jio’s 5G network is available across virtually all populated regions of India through a combination of n28 and n78 deployments.

2. Bharti Airtel

Airtel is India’s oldest mobile operator and holds the most diverse spectrum portfolio among Indian telcos, accumulated over decades of auctions and spectrum refarming.

Airtel 4G LTE Bands

Airtel was India’s first operator to launch 4G LTE, back in 2012, using the 2300 MHz TDD band. Its use of Band 8 (900 MHz) for 4G — refarmed from legacy 2G and 3G spectrum — provides good deep indoor and suburban coverage that operators without 900 MHz spectrum cannot match.

Airtel also deploys Carrier Aggregation (CA) extensively, combining bands such as B3 + B1 or B3 + B40 to deliver higher peak throughput without requiring additional spectrum acquisitions.

Airtel 5G NR Bands

Airtel launched Airtel 5G Plus in October 2022, initially using a Non-Standalone (NSA) architecture anchored on its 4G LTE core.

Airtel holds between 80 MHz and 100 MHz of n78 spectrum depending on the telecom circle, making n78 its primary 5G capacity layer.

Airtel uses Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) on its n1 (2100 MHz) and n3 (1800 MHz) bands, allowing LTE and 5G NR to coexist on the same carrier simultaneously. It also uses n40 (2300 MHz) as a dedicated 5G capacity layer, refarmed from its existing 4G TDD spectrum.

Airtel also holds n258 (26 GHz) mmWave spectrum across several circles – including 400 MHz acquired from Adani Data Networks in April 2025 across Gujarat, Mumbai, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, after Adani exited its telecom operations — for deployment in select high-density locations.

Despite a narrower mid-band footprint than Jio, Airtel consistently ranks at or near the top in Quality of Experience (QoE) scores — including latency consistency and download reliability — in India.

Architecture: Airtel has upgraded its core to a dual-mode network. Its Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) runs entirely on the 5G Standalone (SA) architecture and has introduced commercial consumer network slicing (Priority Postpaid). Mobile smartphone users are currently being migrated from NSA to the SA layer in a phased nationwide rollout. 

Coverage: Airtel’s 5G network is available across most urban and semi-urban regions of India, with ongoing expansion and SA migration.

3. Vodafone Idea (Vi)

Vodafone Idea is the merged entity of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular, formed in 2018. Vi holds a significant combined spectrum portfolio across the country but has faced financial challenges that delayed its 5G rollout relative to Jio and Airtel.

Vi 4G LTE Bands

Vi’s spectrum holdings vary considerably by circle. In Maharashtra and Gujarat — historically strong Idea Cellular territories – Vi has a solid 4G presence. In Vodafone’s legacy circles like Delhi and Mumbai, Band 8 (900 MHz) provides good building penetration.

Vi has also modernised its network infrastructure, deploying Massive MIMO and Dynamic Spectrum Refarming (DSR) to improve 4G throughput as it prepares for 5G.

Vi 5G NR Bands

Vi began commercial 5G rollout during 2024-2025 following completion of funding and network modernization activities, after a significant delay due to financial restructuring.

Vi holds 50 MHz of n78 spectrum in select top circles – less than Jio (100 MHz) and Airtel (80–100 MHz depending on the circle). This limits peak 5G throughput, particularly in high-demand scenarios.

Vi does not hold 700 MHz (n28) spectrum for 5G, which puts it at a disadvantage for rural and semi-urban 5G coverage compared to Jio.

Despite its smaller spectrum footprint, Vi has performed competitively in select 5G experience benchmarks, winning Opensignal awards for 5G Video Experience, 5G Games Experience, and 5G Voice App Experience.

Coverage: Vi 5G is available in a growing number of cities. Its strongest markets remain Maharashtra, Gujarat, and select metro areas.

4. BSNL

BSNL is India’s state-owned telecom operator. Its 4G rollout was significantly delayed compared to private operators, but a government-backed revival is underway using indigenously developed technology from TCS and C-DOT.

BSNL 4G LTE Bands

BSNL’s indigenous 4G rollout primarily uses Band 28B (700 MHz), which serves as its principal LTE coverage layer. This is important to note for device compatibility – most smartphones manufactured before 2023 supported Band 28A but not Band 28B, which caused 4G connectivity issues on BSNL for users with older handsets. Most devices launched from 2023 onwards support both sub-bands.

The 700 MHz band gives BSNL excellent propagation characteristics for rural and remote areas, which aligns with its primary coverage mandate.

To deliver competitive data speeds, BSNL is progressively refarming its legacy 3G spectrum on Band 1 (2100 MHz) into a dedicated 10 MHz 4G capacity layer across many circles. Additionally, the operator is deploying its government-allocated Band 41 (2500 MHz) TDD spectrum as a high-capacity overlay in select dense urban hubs to accommodate localized traffic demand.

As of mid-2026, BSNL has deployed over 97,000 4G sites, with approximately 96,000 live, and plans to add a further 22,000 sites to extend rural and semi-urban coverage.

BSNL 5G NR Bands

BSNL has been allocated 5G spectrum across five bands – 700 MHz, 900 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz – as part of the government’s Rs 89,047 crore revival package. It has already soft-launched 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services using 700 MHz and 3.3 GHz in Hyderabad, with NaaS pilots running in Delhi, Mumbai, and other metro areas. The setup uses a Standalone (SA) 5G core built on indigenous TCS and C-DOT technology.

BSNL’s CMD confirmed in February 2026 that a commercial mobile 5G launch in Delhi is targeted within six months, putting the likely date around mid-to-late 2026. The plan is to upgrade existing 4G sites to 5G progressively, which keeps hardware costs down since the infrastructure was designed to be 5G-upgradeable from the outset.

BSNL’s 5G will offer network slicing, Fixed Wireless Access, and industrial IoT capabilities — features suited to both consumer and enterprise segments. Its combination of 700 MHz (coverage) and 3.3 GHz (capacity) mirrors Jio’s dual-band 5G strategy and gives it strong potential for rural 5G once the rollout scales.

4G and 5G Band Comparison: All Operators

4G LTE Bands

5G NR Bands

* In selected cities (Pune, Delhi, Chennai, and Jalandhar)

Which Bands Should Your Phone Support in India?

For reliable 4G and 5G performance across all Indian networks, a smartphone should support at minimum:

4G: Band 3 (1800 MHz), Band 8 (900 MHz), Band 28 (700 MHz), Band 40 (2300 MHz)

5G: n28 (700 MHz), n78 (3500 MHz)

Most 5G smartphones launched since 2022 cover these bands. Before purchasing, check the device spec sheet for n28 support – some budget 5G phones include n78 but omit n28, which limits coverage on Jio’s low-band 5G layer. Having both n28 and n78 also keeps the device ready for 5G Carrier Aggregation (combining multiple NR bands for higher throughput) as Indian operators expand their CA capabilities.

For BSNL users, verify that the device supports Band 28B specifically, not just Band 28A.

Find a detailed article about the full list of 5G Frequency Bands

Conclusion

Each Indian operator has built its network using a distinct spectrum strategy shaped by the bands it holds, the circles it is strong in, and its financial position.

Jio’s widest mid-band 5G allocation and exclusive low-band 5G at 700 MHz give it the strongest coverage depth. Airtel’s multi-band 4G network with extensive carrier aggregation and DSS-enabled 5G gives it a quality edge in urban areas. Vi’s 5G is commercially live and performs competitively in its key markets, though its spectrum holdings are narrower. BSNL’s 4G revival at 700 MHz serves rural India well, and its 5G soft launch on 700 MHz and 3.3 GHz — built on indigenous technology – positions it for a meaningful commercial rollout in late 2026.

Understanding these band differences helps when selecting an operator, choosing a compatible device, or designing systems that depend on specific network characteristics.

FAQ