6GHz for 6G, please: European operators petition regulators for more spectrum

News

The operators warned that Europe’s 6G future could be in jeopardy if more spectrum is not made available to support emerging use cases

This week, 12 of Europe’s largest mobile network operators have published a joint statement urging regulators to allocate the upper 6GHz band for mobile usage.

The signatories, which include BT, Orange, Telefonica, TIM, and Deutsche Telekom, say this additional spectrum will be vital to supporting new technologies, as well as bolstering the capacity of existing 5G services.

“With escalating demands on current spectrum capacity and with future services including 6G on the horizon, it is critical that the entirety of the upper 6GHz band (6.425-7.125 GHz) is made available to mobile networks,” read the statement.

While not so highly prized as ‘midband’ spectrum (~3.5GHz), the 6GHz band is nonetheless seen as offering a strong combination of both capacity and coverage, making it appealing for delivering mobile services. These same qualities, however, also make it an attractive option for Wi-Fi providers, who want access to the spectrum to bolster their Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 offerings.

As a result, this debate over the upper part of the 6GHz band has been taking place for a long time, with various solutions being floated across Europe. In the UK, for example, Ofcom is currently consulting on what to do with the spectrum, including proposing ‘hybrid sharing’ between mobile and Wi-Fi in the long term. This could provide an interesting compromise, though technical challenges

The international communities, meanwhile, have taken a variety of different approaches to the 6GHz band. In 2020, the USA opened the full 1,200MHz of the 6GHz band to unlicensed usage (i.e., Wi-Fi), and related devices are already gaining significant traction there and in other markets. On the other hand, China allocated the band to mobile services in 2023, using it to enhance existing 5G services.

Europe’s lack of clarity over the band’s future is seen as potentially limiting the bloc’s ability to compete against these technology giants, particularly as the industry moves towards 6G.

“If the decision to make the upper 6 GHz band available to European mobile operators is delayed, while US technology interests are permitted to secure further 6 GHz capacity, Europe’s competitiveness would be threatened. This would stifle the future economic potential of European business and society and ultimately erode Europe’s influence over its own digital future and global competitiveness,” the statement continued.

As the statement points out, it should be noted that these mobile operators “are the primary providers of Wi-Fi services to European consumers and enterprises,” hence they would argue that they are not inherently biased in favour of supporting mobile services over Wi-Fi. They instead claim that Wi-Fi services are currently provisioned with enough spectrum for their needs.

“We do not perceive any current or future Wi-Fi spectrum shortfall,” said the statement.

Ultimately, European regulators are under pressure to pick a side or create a viable compromise, else they risk the spectrum being underutilised while their international rivals are already enjoying the value it can create.

The full list of signatories for the statement is below:

• Alexander Kuchar – Group Chief Technology Officer, A1 Telekom Austria Group
• Howard Watson – Chief Security and Networks Officer, BT Group
• Abdurazak Mudesir – Group Chief Technology Officer, DTAG
• Wouter Stammeijer – Chief Operating Officer, KPN
• Sami Komulainen – Executive Vice president Production, Elisa
• Laurent Leboucher – Chief Technology Officer, Orange
• Andrea Folgueiras – Chief Technology & Information Officer, Telefonica S.A.
• Alexandra Fürst – Sr. Vice President, Chief Technology & Information Officer, Telia Company
• Leonardo Capdeville – Chief Technology Officer, TIM
• Željko Batistić – VP Technology of the United Group
• Alberto Ripepi – Chief Network Officer, Vodafone Group

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news:
Germany appoints first ever digital minister
Signify and Cornerstone to deploy city-wide multi-operator wireless network through street lighting
BT opens new flagship Manchester office

Author: Ernestro Casas -

This post was originally published on this site