Frequency Bands
| Band | Up | Down | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| L | –2 GHz | –2 GHz | Mobile satellite, GPS; low rain fade |
| S | –4 GHz | –4 GHz | Mobile, telemetry, weather radar |
| C | GHz | GHz | Rain-robust; larger antennas |
| X | GHz | GHz | Military and government |
| Ku | GHz | /12 GHz | VSAT, DTH TV; smaller antennas |
| Ka | GHz | GHz | High-throughput satellites; more rain fade |
Common satellite bands and their uses.
Why the uplink frequency is higher: the earth station can afford high transmit power and a large antenna, so it drives the harder (higher-loss) higher band on the uplink; the power-limited satellite transmits the lower, more efficient band on the downlink.