The battle between Wi-Fi operators and telcos over the use of key parts of the coveted 6 GHz wireless frequency range in Europe has taken a significant step, with a collection of leading European telecoms operators urging regulatory action to make available the complete upper 6 GHz band for the mobile comms services they provide.
Access to 6 GHz has been an issue for some time now. Telcos have argued that enabling this band for mobile use will ensure consumers and businesses receive even faster and more reliable 5G services over the next five to 10 years, while avoiding a mobile capacity crunch caused by soaring demand for bandwidth as more devices and services, such as augmented reality headsets, health sensors and vehicles, are connected to mobile networks that require greater processing power and capacity.
In an open letter entitled Essential action for europe’s mobile future, a collection of leading telcos say they will commit to support Europe’s global technology leadership by developing and investing in infrastructure, but only if the necessary spectrum resources are made available. Signatories to the letter include A1 Telekom Austria, BT Group, DTAG, KPN, Elisa, Orange, Proximus, Telefónica, Telia, TIM, United Group and Vodafone Group.
The telcos believe that allocating the upper section of the 6 GHz band for mobile – with the lower part already assigned to Wi-Fi services in many countries – would be the best outcome for customers, industries and digital societies in general.
In particular, they note that the upper 6 GHz band is a critical opportunity for launching 6G networks in Europe, and should be an integral part of Europe’s future mobile infrastructure. That is, with current traffic growth projections, existing mobile spectrum will be needed to sustain 5G services and would not be available to launch 6G.
They ask the region’s regulatory bodies to take what they call essential action to secure mobile digital connectivity’s future in Europe, and to make available the complete upper 6 GHz band for mobile for the benefit of Europe’s economy and society.
Moreover, they state their concern that access to upper 6 GHz band is still sought for Wi-Fi by US stakeholders, despite the recent availability of a new but widely unused block of 480 MHz in the lower 6 GHz band, expressly reserved for this purpose.
The letter says: “The decisions and the strategic approach that Europe takes now on the upper 6 GHz band will have profound and long-lasting implications on the ability of Europe’s telecoms sector to enable [a profitable] future.
“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 6 GHz band (6.425-7.125 GHz) is made available to mobile networks,” it says. “Mobile alone is expected to contribute to 8.4% of global GDP by 2030. Without access to the upper 6 GHz, mobile’s impact on GDP growth will be curtailed significantly.
“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,” the letter continues. “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.
“Without the full availability of the upper 6 GHz for mobile networks, any future 6G services in this band would be significantly curtailed and ultimately jeopardise Europe’s opportunity to play a leading role in 6G deployment. It would also fragment the global ecosystem for 6G, leaving Europe unable to benefit from economies of scale.”