Japan LTE Types and Frequency Bands Overview
1. LTE Network Types in Japan
LTE Type
Full Name
Key Features
FDD-LTE
Frequency Division Duplex LTE
Separate frequencies for uplink/downlink; stable, wid
TD-LTE
Time Division Duplex LTE
Same frequency for uplink/downlink with time division; h
LTE-M (Cat-M1)
LTE for Machine Type Communication
Low power, long range, ~300 kbps
NB-IoT
Narrow Band IoT
Ultra low power, <100 kbps
2. Japan LTE Frequency Bands (FDD-LTE / TD-LTE)
Band
Frequency (MHz)
Duplex Type
Main Operators
Description / Use
B1
2100
FDD-LTE
Docomo / au / SoftBank
Core urban LTE band
B3
1800
FDD-LTE
Docomo / Rakuten
Urban capacity band
B8
900
FDD-LTE
SoftBank
Rural & indoor coverage
B11
1500
FDD-LTE
KDDI (au)
Capacity expansion
B18
800
FDD-LTE
KDDI (au)
Wide coverage (main au band)
B19
800
FDD-LTE
NTT Docomo
Rural platinum band
B21
1500
FDD-LTE
NTT Docomo
Urban supplementary
B26
850
FDD-LTE
KDDI (au)
Extension of Band 18
B28
700
FDD-LTE
Docomo / au / SoftBank
Wide area, 700 MHz refarming
B41
2500
TD-LTE
au / SoftBank
High-speed hotspot
B42
3500
TD-LTE
Docomo / au / SoftBank
4G/5G transition, carrier aggregation
3. LTE-M and NB-IoT Networks in Japan
Operator
LTE Type
Supported Bands
Typical Use
Notes
NTT Docomo
LTE-M (Cat-M1)
B1 / B19 / B28
IoT, metering, smart agriculture
Nationwide coverage
KDDI (au)
LTE-M (Cat-M1)
B1 / B18 / B26 / B28
Industrial IoT, tracking
Supports VoLTE-M1
SoftBank
LTE-M / NB-IoT
B1 / B3 / B8 / B28
Asset tracking, logistics
NB-IoT limited rollou
Rakuten Mobile
LTE (Cat-4)
B3 / B18 (roaming)
Consumer LTE only
No M1/NB-IoT suppo
4. Frequency Range Overview
Frequency Range
LTE Type
Typical Bands
Operators
Cha
700–900 MHz
FDD-LTE / LTE-M / NB-IoT
B8 / B18 / B19 / B26 / B28
All
Long dista
1500–2100 MHz
FDD-LTE
B1 / B11 / B21
All
Urba
2500–3500 MHz
TD-LTE
B41 / B42
au / SoftBank / Docomo
High-sp
1800 MHz
FDD-LTE
B3
Docomo / Rakuten
Mid-band
• FDD-LTE (Bands 1–28) is the nationwide backbone for LTE in Japan. • TD-LTE (Bands 41–42) is
used in dense urban areas and for high-speed data. • LTE-M (Cat-M1) is widely available from
Docomo, au, and SoftBank. • NB-IoT is limited but expanding under SoftBank’s IoT network. • For
IoT projects, prefer LTE-M (Cat-M1) or LTE Cat-1 modules supporting Bands 1, 19, 28.
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