Radio spectrum

Band name Abbreviation ITU band number Frequency and wavelength Example uses
Tremendously low frequency TLF <3 Hz
100,000 km
Extremely low frequency ELF 1 3–30 Hz
100,000–10,000 km
Communication with submarines
Super low frequency SLF 2 30–300 Hz
10,000–1,000 km
Communication with submarines
Ultra low frequency ULF 3 300–3,000 Hz
1,000–100 km
Communication with submarines, communication within mines, landline telephony, fax machines, fiber-optic communication
Very low frequency VLF 4 3–30 kHz
100–10 km
Navigation, time signals, communication with submarines, wireless heart rate monitors, geophysics
Low frequency LF 5 30–300 kHz
10–1 km
Navigation, time signals, AM longwave broadcasting (Europe and parts of Asia), RFID, amateur radio.
Medium frequency MF 6 300–3,000 kHz
1,000–100 m
AM (medium-wave) broadcasts, amateur radio, avalanche beacons, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, electrical telegraph, wireless telegraphy, radioteletype, dial-up internet.
High frequency HF 7 3–30 MHz
100–10 m
Shortwave broadcasts, citizens band radio, amateur radio and over-the-horizon aviation communications, RFID, over-the-horizon radar, automatic link establishment (ALE) / near-vertical incidence skywave (NVIS) radio communications, marine and mobile radio telephony, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, cordless phones.
Very high frequency VHF 8 30–300 MHz
10–1 m
FM broadcasts, television broadcasts, cable television broadcasting, radars, line-of-sight ground-to-aircraft and aircraft-to-aircraft communications, radioteletype, land mobile and maritime mobile communications, amateur radio, police, fire and emergency medical services scanners, weather radio, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, cordless phones.
Ultra high frequency UHF 9 300–3,000 MHz
100–10 cm
Television broadcasts, cable television broadcasting, microwave oven, radars, microwave devices/communications, radio astronomy, radars (L band), mobile phones, wireless LAN, Bluetooth, ZigBee, GPS and two-way radios such as land mobile, FRS and GMRS radios, amateur radio, satellite radio, police, fire and emergency medical services scanners, remote control systems, ADSB, cordless phones, internet, dial-up internet, satellite broadcasting, communication satellites, weather satellites, satellite phones (L band), satellite phones (S band).
Super high frequency SHF 10 3–30 GHz
10–1 cm
Radio astronomy, microwave devices/communications, wireless LAN, DSRC, most modern radars, communications satellites, cable and satellite television broadcasting, DBS, amateur radio, satellite broadcasting, communication satellites, weather satellites, satellite radio, cordless phones, internet, satellite phones (S band).
Extremely high frequency EHF 11 30–300 GHz
10–1 mm
Radio astronomy, satellite broadcasting, communication satellites, weather satellites, high-frequency microwave radio relay, microwave remote sensing, directed-energy weapon, millimeter wave scanner, Wireless Lan 802.11ad, internet.
Terahertz or tremendously high frequency THF 12 300–3,000 GHz
1–0.1 mm
Experimental medical imaging to replace X-rays, ultrafast molecular dynamics, condensed-matter physics, terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, terahertz computing/communications, remote sensing