K-Factor for LTE/5G RF PropagationWednesday, 2025-Mar-12

Boost your signal reach with new K-Factor support for Australia, Canada, and New Zealand Cellular Services. K-Factor fine-tunes how far signals travel by adjusting for atmospheric bending—miss it, and you could overestimate coverage or hit dead zones. It ranges from 0.6 to 2.0, shifting with terrain, humidity, and temperature.

For cities and hills, start with 1.0; for flat areas, start with 1.33. Bump these to 1.5-1.8 for humid, coastal zones. Here's some regional guidelines to help you choose:

Australia

Terrain	K-Factor	Notes
Urban & Bushland	0.8 – 1.0	Buildings and trees keep it low.
Outback & Flat Areas	1.2 – 1.4	Open land fits around 1.33.
Coastal Zones	1.4 – 1.8	Humidity boosts it a bit.

Tips to Try

• Use 1.33 as a general starting point.
• Adjust as needed: Set 1.0 for cities & hilly areas and 1.33 for flat terrain.
• For long distances (e.g., 50 km+), even a 0.3 change in K-Factor can shift the radio horizon by kilometers, affecting link reliability.

Search Canadian Wireless Sites by Cell IDMonday, 2025-Mar-3

Canada Cellular Services now allows you to locate wireless sites by Cell ID, in addition to street address, Site ID, and latitude/longitude. Our database of 522,000 Cell IDs is sourced directly from Canada's wireless operators, and updated regularly. Unlike third-party crowdsourced databases, which are often incomplete and positionally inaccurate, our data ensures reliable and precise results.

How to Search by Cell ID

Enter a Cell ID in the Enter a location box at the top of the map. Supported formats:

• 302 MNC Cell ID
• 302 MNC LAC_eNb_gNb Cell_ID

HSPA uses LAC, LTE uses eNb, and 5G uses gNb.

Mobile Network Codes (MNC) in Canada

The Mobile Country Code (MCC) for Canada is 302, followed by a three-digit Mobile Network Code (MNC):

MNC	Operator	MNC	Operator
220	Telus	270	Eastlink
490	Freedom (Videotron)	500	Videotron
610	Bell	720	Rogers
780	SaskTel	781	SaskTel
880	Telus/Bell Shared

To save yourself some typing, you might be able to omit LAC_eNb_gNb, and enter only 302 MNC Cell_ID. If multiple sites match your entry, you'll be prompted to provide LAC_eNb_gNb.

Finding Your Cell ID

• Android: Use the free app Network Cell Info Lite (shown at top-right).
• iPhone: Dial *3001#12345#* to open the FTM Dashboard (shown at right).

Try it now and find wireless sites with ease!

New Zealand Cellular ServicesMonday, 2025-Feb-24

Big improvements for New Zealand Cellular Services:

• Weekly Updates—Fresh wireless spectrum data every week
• Official Data—Direct from New Zealand's radio spectrum agency
• All National Cellular Carriers—One NZ, Spark & 2degrees
• Expanded Coverage—Tracking 5,800 cellular sites (and growing)
• 5G Included—2,200 sites (and growing)
• Major WISP Providers—800 sites (and growing) from wireless broadband providers like Accelerate Wireless, amuri.net, AoNet, Full Flavour, Gisborne Net, Inspire Net, Kiwiwifi, LightSpeed, Lightwire, Netspeed, Primo Wireless, Rural Connectivity Group, thepacific.net, Uber Group, Ultimate Broadband, Unifone, VelocityNet, WIZwireless
• Topographic Site Survey—Real-world insights into rf signal propagation

Below are screen shots showing various aspects of these updates.

Cellular App & Spectrum Data Updates Tuesday, 2025-Feb-18

We've enhanced our desktop and mobile applications, making RF analysis and wireless site data more accurate & intuitive for wireless firms, private equity, and site acquisition professionals.

These updates apply in various combinations to Australia, Canada and New Zealand Cellular Services

Emissions Color-Coded and Grouped by Azimuth (Australia)

Emissions Color-Coded and Grouped by Azimuth (Canada)

mmWave's Slow Dance in AustraliaMonday, 2025-Feb-17

Millimeter wave (mmWave) technology operates in the 24–100 GHz range and promises ultra-fast wireless speeds. Industry leaders like Qualcomm tout 5G NR mmWave as a game-changer, while Analysys Mason—a consultancy for Ericsson and Qualcomm—predicts significant economic benefits. Four years in, is mmWave the breakthrough Australians were promised, or just another tech dream?

Australia's wireless operators began deploying mmWave in 2021: Vodafone at 25.1–25.7 GHz, Telstra at 25.7–26.7 GHz, Optus at 26.7–27.5 GHz, and NBN at 28.5–29.5 GHz. According to Qualcomm and Analysys Mason, by now—four years later—mmWave should be widespread across Australia, from Perth to Sydney. The reality, however, is quite the opposite:

Why Has mmWave Deployment Stalled?

• The stubborn physics of mmWave—poor penetration and limited reach—make nationwide rollouts tricky and expensive.
• Australian operators favor 3.4–3.8 GHz for its balance of coverage and capacity.
• The rapid expansion of mid-band 5G suggests a better return on investment than mmWave.
• Mid-band and 5G standalone networks already offer major speed gains without the cost of mmWave densification.

Potential Niche Applications for mmWave

While widespread adoption has stalled, mmWave remains valuable in specific scenarios:

• Controlled environments (stadiums, arenas, airports) with predictable line-of-sight.
• Stable propagation conditions where obstacles are minimal.
• High-density areas needing simultaneous high-speed access.
• Real-time media sharing requiring ultra-fast uploads/downloads.

These use cases suggest mmWave's future lies in targeted deployments, not mass-market mobile coverage.

Conclusion: mmWave Falls Short of Hype

Operators continue to prioritize mid-band 5G, limiting mmWave to niche deployments. In February 2025, just 1,144 mmWave sites exist—dwarfed by 13,626 mid-band (3.4 GHz) sites. For now, mmWave's game-changing potential remains mostly confined to carefully controlled arenas, not the everyday Australian mobile experience.