EU UHF RFID upper band: 915 to 921 MHz

The EU decision allows RFID readers up to 4 W e.r.p. in the 916.1 to 918.9 MHz segment, only on centre frequencies 916.3, 917.5 and 918.7 MHz with channels of up to 400 kHz. This adds to the 865 to 868 MHz lower band. Take-up by national regulators is patchy, so check each country before you rely on upper-band readers.

This decision sets where and at what power RAIN RFID readers can transmit in the EU upper band: up to 4 W e.r.p. on three channels, alongside the established 865 to 868 MHz lower band. It matters to reader and antenna makers, integrators and anyone specifying readers for EU sites.

The practical catch is uneven adoption by national regulators, so the band has to be checked country by country. RFID News reported in September 2026 that the RAIN Alliance credits the upper band with up to 40% more read range and roughly double the communication speed of the lower band, and that Decathlon has committed to deploying it across thousands of stores.

The ETSI standard EN 302 208 describes a fourth channel at 919.9 MHz, but the EU decision harmonises only 916.3, 917.5 and 918.7 MHz. We also reported that a US proposal from NextNav would reserve 918 to 928 MHz in the United States, which does not change EU rules but could weaken the case for one reader design across both markets.