Editing GSM frequency bands (section)

=== GSM-850 and GSM-1900 ===
GSM-1900 and GSM-850 are used in most of North, South and Central America (ITU-Region 2).
In North America, GSM operates on the primary mobile communication bands 850&nbsp;MHz and 1900&nbsp;MHz. In [[Canada]], GSM-1900 is the primary band used in urban areas with 850 as a backup, and GSM-850 being the primary rural band. In the [[United States]], regulatory requirements determine which area can use which band.

The term ''Cellular'' is sometimes used to describe GSM services in the 850&nbsp;MHz band, because the original [[analog signal|analog]] cellular mobile communication system was allocated in this spectrum. Further GSM-850 is also sometimes called ''GSM-800'' because this frequency range was known as the "800&nbsp;MHz band" (for simplification) when it was first allocated for [[Advanced Mobile Phone System|AMPS]] in the United States in 1983. In [[North America]] GSM-1900 is also referred to as [[Personal Communications Service]] (PCS) like any other cellular system operating on the "1900 MHz band".