Certain aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to apparatus and methods for switching operating bandwidth and/or operating channel in a wireless communications network. A transmitting STA may send an announcement of a switch to a particular bandwidth in a frame, wherein the presence or absence of a Secondary Channel Offset Element and a Wide Bandwidth Channel Switch Element in the frame indicates whether the particular bandwidth belongs to a first or second set of operating bandwidths. The presence of the Secondary Channel Offset Element and a Wide Bandwidth Channel Switch Element in the frame may indicate a switch to the first set of operating bandwidths. The first set of operating bandwidths may include VHT channels including 80 MHz only, 80+80 MHz and 160 MHz channels. The absence of the Secondary Channel Offset Element and a Wide Bandwidth Channel Switch Element in the frame may indicate a switch to the second set of operating bandwidths. The second set of operating bandwidths may include 20 MHz and 40 MHz channels.