Ku-Band 12-18 Ghz

The Ku band (pronunciation: /?ke?'ju?/) is the 12–18 GHz portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies. This symbol refers to "K-under" (originally German: Kurz-unter)—in other words, the band directly below the K-band. Ku band is primarily used for satellite communications, most notably for fixed and broadcast services, and for specific applications such as NASA's Tracking Data Relay Satellite used for both space shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) communications. Ku band satellites are also used for backhauls and particularly for satellite from remote locations back to a television network's studio for editing and broadcasting. The band is split into multiple segments that vary by geographical region by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).