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Global 5G Band Lookup by Country: Find Which 5G Bands Your Phone Really Supports

Buying a โ€œ5G phoneโ€ does not automatically mean youโ€™ll get 5G everywhere.

Different countries, and even different carriers inside each country, use different 5G bands and frequencies. A phone that works perfectly in one region may only get partial 5G service in another, or fall back to 4G LTE entirely.

To make this simple, we built a Global 5G Band Lookup Tool that lets you:

  • pick any country
  • see the 5G bands used there
  • check frequency ranges
  • identify whether the band is FR1 (Sub-6 GHz) or FR2 (mmWave)
  • search for specific bands like n78, n77, n41, n258

This article explains how to use the tool and why these differences matter so much.

Global 5G Band Lookup Tool

Select a country or search to see supported 5G bands and spectrum ranges.

Country Band Frequency Range FR Notes

๐Ÿ” Why 5G bands differ across countries

Every country regulates its own radio spectrum.

That means:

  • different auctions
  • different historical uses of spectrum
  • different migration from 2G/3G/4G
  • different security and aviation constraints
  • different levels of 5G maturity

So while n78 (3.5 GHz) is very common worldwide, others are highly regional, like:

  • n41 โ€“ strong presence in the United States and parts of Asia
  • n28 โ€“ 700 MHz coverage band used in Europe, India, Brazil, and others
  • mmWave bands like n257/n258/n260/n261 used in select countries only

Your 5G experience depends on how many local bands your device supports.

๐Ÿ“ก What the tool shows you

The tool lists, for each country:

  • 5G NR band number (like n78, n28, n258)
  • frequency range (for example 3.3โ€“3.8 GHz)
  • FR category
    • FR1 = Sub-6 GHz (low + mid band)
    • FR2 = mmWave (very high frequency)
  • notes about common usage and deployment status

You can:

  • select a country from the dropdown
  • or type into the search box to filter globally

Try searches like:

  • n78
  • 3.5 GHz
  • mmWave
  • n258
  • coverage

๐Ÿงญ How to use the Global 5G Band Lookup Tool

1. Select a country

Choose the country where you:

  • live
  • travel
  • buy SIM cards
  • import devices

The table will immediately show the bands used there.

2. Use the search bar (optional)

The search lets you instantly filter results by:

  • band name (n78, n77, etc.)
  • frequency (like โ€œ3.5 GHzโ€ or โ€œ700โ€)
  • keywords (such as โ€œmmWaveโ€ or โ€œcoverageโ€)

This is useful when comparing across multiple countries at once.

3. Compare with your phoneโ€™s supported bands

Check your device specifications (settings or manufacturer site) and look for:

โ€œ5G NR bandsโ€

Match those against:

  • the country you are interested in
  • the results from the tool

If bands donโ€™t overlap, you wonโ€™t get 5G in that regionโ€”even if your phone โ€œsupports 5Gโ€ in general.

๐Ÿ“ถ Quick primer: FR1 vs FR2 (Sub-6 vs mmWave)

FR1 โ€“ Sub-6 GHz (low and mid band)

Includes bands like:

  • n1, n3, n5, n28
  • n41, n66, n77, n78

Characteristics:

  • travels far
  • penetrates buildings better
  • provides broad coverage
  • speeds from tens to hundreds of Mbps

This is the backbone of most global 5G deployments.

FR2 โ€“ mmWave (very high band)

Includes bands like:

  • n257
  • n258
  • n260
  • n261

Characteristics:

  • extremely fast (gigabit speeds possible)
  • very short range
  • blocked by walls, hands, trees, rain
  • mainly in dense hotspots like stadiums and airports

Not many countries deploy mmWave widely yet, but it is growing.

โœˆ๏ธ Why travelers and import-device buyers should care

This tool is especially useful if you:

  • buy phones from another country
  • import devices from Asia or Europe
  • use eSIMs when traveling
  • run IoT or modem hardware globally

Common cases:

  • A phone imported from China may not support North American bands.
  • A European device may lack US n41 or mmWave support.
  • US-market phones sometimes omit n78, heavily used internationally.

Matching bands prevents:

  • weak 5G coverage
  • 4G fallback
  • poor indoor performance
  • wasted hardware capability

๐Ÿ Final takeaway

5G is not one single technology – it is a collection of spectrum bands, each with unique trade-offs in:

  • speed
  • range
  • coverage
  • device compatibility

Our Global 5G Band Lookup Tool helps you quickly see:

  • which bands exist in each country
  • which frequency ranges they use
  • whether theyโ€™re Sub-6 or mmWave

Use it before:

  • importing a phone
  • traveling internationally
  • choosing a carrier
  • building global IoT devices

It can save you from disappointment – and help you unlock the best 5G performance available.