The GSMA renewed calls to governments and regulators to make the full upper 6GHz band available for mobile, arguing the industry is ready to support large-scale deployments.

More than 60 operators, device manufacturers, chipset makers, network equipment providers and other industry players have backed the position, with the GSMA stating policymakers need to provide greater certainty around future spectrum availability.

According to the industry association, countries representing more than 80% of the global population now support mobile use of the band, which covers 6.425GHz to 7.125GHz. The frequencies have also been included in national spectrum roadmaps. In addition, the first spectrum assignments have already taken place, with further awards expected across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the Americas as market demand evolves.

The GSMA urged policymakers to include the entire band in future spectrum plans and make it available for full-power macro-cell mobile services, arguing this will provide operators with the certainty needed to invest in future networks.

It noted upper 6GHz could add capacity in busy cities as mobile data traffic increases, supporting the evolution of 5G-Advanced and future 6G networks. The band could also support the 200-400MHz channel bandwidths expected in the 6G era.

GSMA director general Vivek Badrinath said the industry is “ready to put the upper 6 GHz spectrum to work for consumers and businesses around the world”, adding, “governments now have an important opportunity to turn international harmonisation into real-world connectivity”.

He argued that “timely, pro-investment spectrum decisions are needed to give operators the certainty to invest”, while arguing such policy moves could support national digital ambitions and inclusive mobile development.

Global effort
The GSMA’s latest call forms part of repeated efforts to secure upper 6GHz for mobile. Last year, the industry association praised guidance by the European Commission’s spectrum advisory group RSPG supporting up to 700MHz for mobile use.

Countries across the world are considering how best to use the 6GHz band. In January, UK regulator Ofcom proposed sharing the band between mobile and Wi-Fi, prompting the GSMA to warn the approach could constrain future mobile deployment.

Meanwhile, China approved regional 6GHz trials for 6G in May and earlier this month, Nokia and Optus tested the spectrum across several use cases.

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