Telecom industry trade group GSMA has called on governments and regulators to throw weight behind the upper 6GHz band as part of “forward-looking” spectrum roadmaps to guarantee access to the necessary capacity resources for next-generation mobile networks.. GSMA made the call during its M360 ASEAN event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, noting that the 6.425–7.125 GHz band already supports mobile connections for more than 80 percent of the world’s population.
More than 60 mobile operators, device manufacturers, and network equipment providers have signed up to a GSMA “unified message” backing the band for use in large-scale deployments.. Given its existing scale and significant industry backing, the GSMA contends that global regulators need to make the full upper 6GHz band available for full-power macro-cell mobile use to “meet the needs of all of their citizens.”.
“The message from the mobile ecosystem is clear: we are ready to put the upper 6GHz spectrum to work for consumers and businesses around the world,” GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath noted. “Governments now have an important opportunity to turn international harmonization into real-world connectivity by prioritizing this spectrum for full-power mobile services.”.
The trade group argues that the upper 6GHz band is capable of supporting growing data traffic demands set to hit networks as buildout from 5G-Advanced and later 6G proliferates.. Chinese regulators have already raced to approve the 6GHz band for use in large-scale field trials and 6G technical standardization as it rushes to get ahead, while American counterparts have seemingly identified the 7GHz band as a leading candidate for 6G spectrum..
As superpowers wrangle over their view of optimal options, operators have been busy conducting their own trials. Spanish giant MasOrange, for example, has been working with Ericsson on such trials, while Nokia conducted its own tests of the upper 6GHz spectrum with carriers including Telia..
“Upper 6GHz represents one of the most important opportunities to secure the capacity needed for the next generation of mobile networks, creating a clear path from 5G-Advanced to 6G,” Badrinath added. “Timely, pro-investment spectrum decisions are needed to give operators the certainty to invest, to help countries deliver their national digital ambitions, and to support mobile development that is efficient, innovative and, most importantly, inclusive.”.
The WiFi Alliance and Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA) last year called out European Union (EU) regulators over concerns about the potential to share the upper 6 GHz band between license-exempt technologies, such as WiFi, and licensed mobile networks.. A letter dated November 2025 saw the pair argue that blocking WiFi access to the upper 6GHz band would be “devastating to the future of WiFi technology in Europe.”.
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