Spectrum Efficiency

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What Does Spectrum Efficiency Mean?

Spectrum efficiency refers to the use of a radio frequency spectrum in more efficient ways. The wireless spectrum or wireless frequency spectrum is the set of radio frequencies used for wireless devices. Each specific type of radio frequency use has its own frequency bands available within a complex set of spectrum allocations, including allocations for government, amateur, broadcasting and specific private sector uses.

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As frequency bands become increasingly crowded, today’s research on smartphones includes consideration as to how to use radio frequency bands more efficiently.

Techopedia Explains Spectrum Efficiency

A review of the entire wireless spectrum or radio frequency spectrum is complicated by the fact that there are so many uses for various radio frequency bands. A closer look shows that the entire radio frequency spectrum, from very low-frequency signals like 100 kHz to high-frequency signals above 30 GHz, is shared in very complicated ways by government exclusive uses, non-government exclusive uses, and shared uses. Some bands are set aside for amateur use, while others are designated for various types of satellite communications. Another very important set of frequency bands is allocated for the use of smart phones, mobile phones, or other wireless devices. This is what some people may mean when discussing the wireless spectrum.

In the United States, cellphone carriers use frequency bands starting at 800 MHz and 850 MHz, with other particular bands at 900 MHz and above. Cell phones share some of these high-frequency bands with other wireless devices like Bluetooth. One important aspect of the future of technology is going to be how to divide this frequency spectrum equitably, and how to accommodate all of the new wireless technologies available to a growing population.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist
Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.