ESMR
(SMR)
Enhanced Specialized Mobile Radio
The radio frequency band historically used for a type of wireless network that blends walkie-talkie (push-to-talk) functionality with a cellular phone network. The most prominent implementation in the US was iDEN technology used by Nextel and branded Direct Connect.
Nextel was bought by Sprint, which converted the band to CDMA and then 4G LTE technology. T-Mobile now uses this band.
The ESMR band is near 800 MHz. The precise frequencies include 806 - 825 MHz and 851 - 869 MHz.
The ESMR band was also known as BC10, which stands for band class 10. BC10 was used in the context of CDMA service.
For 4G and 5G service, it's part of band 26.
See: Band 26
Last updated Jun 21, 2024 by Rich Brome
Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.
