The electromagnetic spectrum of frequencies is divided into ranges. These are the C band, Ku band and Ka band. The Ku band is the range of frequencies between 11.7 and 12.7 GHz and for uplinks between 14 and 14.5 GHz.
The Ku band is commonly used for direct-to-home satellite broadcasting of scrambled or free-to-air programs. The Ku band is also used by broadcasting networks to edit and broadcast programming from affiliate stations.
Use of the Ku band became popular during the development of satellite broadcasting in the 1970s. The popularity of the system has increased as technology has reduced in size and cost. The Ku band is used to avoid interference with broadcasts transmitted over the lower-frequency C band.