What's ARFCN

ARFCN stands for "Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number". It is a channel identification number used in mobile communication systems such as GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) to identify a specific radio frequency channel.

In GSM, the ARFCN is a number that identifies the frequency band and the carrier frequency within that band. Each ARFCN corresponds to a specific uplink and downlink frequency pair. For example, ARFCN 42 corresponds to an uplink frequency of 876.2 MHz and a downlink frequency of 921.2 MHz in Europe.

In UMTS, the ARFCN is used to identify the channel bandwidth and the carrier frequency within that bandwidth. Each ARFCN corresponds to a specific uplink and downlink frequency pair and a specific channel bandwidth. For example, ARFCN 10738 corresponds to an uplink frequency of 2112.4 MHz, a downlink frequency of 1922.4 MHz, and a channel bandwidth of 5 MHz.

In summary, ARFCN is a channel identification number used in mobile communication systems such as GSM and UMTS to identify a specific radio frequency channel. It corresponds to a specific uplink and downlink frequency pair and, in the case of UMTS, a specific channel bandwidth.