TECH

European telcos demand whole upper 6 GHz band for 6G

The United States has been using the 6 GHz spectrum for Wi-Fi since 2020, while China allocated it for 5G and 6G two years ago. But in Europe, regulators have yet to make decisions, prompting alarm from telecom operators.

A letter signed by the CTOs of 12 of Europe’s largest operators, including the UK’s Vodafone Group, Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, Spain’s Telefonica and France’s Orange, calls on Brussels to make swift decisions on the allocation of spectrum needed to begin developing and launching 6G. This is to ensure that Europe does not fall behind the United States and China.

According to Mobile World Live, the operators say they remain committed to developing and investing in European connectivity, but are urging a strategic approach to the 6 GHz spectrum, which is driving the development and launch of 6G. Companies fear that Europe will be left behind, considering that the United States has opened up this spectrum for Wi-Fi since 2020 and that China has also allocated it for 5G and 6G.

In Europe, there is still no decision on the development of the 6G network based on the 6 GHz spectrum, considering that most countries purchased frequencies in auctions between 3.4 and 3.8 GHz for the initial development of 5G. The letter points out the large-scale demand for current spectrum capacity, with future services with 6G on the horizon. “It is crucial that the entire frequency at the top of 6 GHz is made available for mobile networks,” the letter states, pointing to frequencies between 6.425 and 7.125 GHz.

Operators say that the global Gross Domestic Product has an 8.4% contribution from the mobile industry, but that without access to the 6 GHz frequency, the impact on GDP growth will be reduced. They highlight their concern by noting that access to the upper 6 GHz band continues to be sought by US stakeholders for Wi-Fi, despite the recent release of a 480 MHz block in the lower 6 GHz band that is unused and reserved for this purpose. Enterprises continue to be the main providers of Wi-Fi for European consumers and businesses. In other words, the message is that operators do not want to share spectrum with Wi-Fi.

Telecoms.com points out that the current needs of 5G services to access the 6 GHz spectrum may leave nothing for 6G. Therefore, they call for the full potential of the 6 GHz band to be used so that Europe can guarantee the digital connectivity expected by 2030.

mundophone