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water absorbs 2.4GHz readily. this is why microwaves use that frequency to heat your food. microwaves are why that frequency band is unlicensed, too.

so that's Bluetooth and wi-fi ruled out.

GPS is a lower frequency, ~1.5GHz I think, and GPS is already an extremely low power signal.

I don't know about 4g or 5g though.



4G and 5G are going to depend on the mobile carrier. In the US, at least, that's usually going to be somewhere between 850MHz and 2100MHz. I recall reading something more recent about 700MHz being opened up in some areas.

Looks like Germany is 700-2600MHz for 4G, with 5G up at 3500MHz[0].

For underwater stuff it looks like you need something much lower in the kHz range[1], at least for distances of up to a couple hundred feet. Obviously this particular situation involves a much shorter distance. The page on MF radio[2] does mention water, and talks about frequencies up to 3MHz, but that's still way lower than any LTE bands used.

[0] https://www.gsmarena.com/network-bands.php3?sCountry=GERMANY

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_with_submarines

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium_frequency


Verizon has used 700MHz for a long time, its their primary band. T-mobile uses 700MHz and 600MHz in many areas (generally as range extension, not a primary band).




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