Momentum builds around licensed mobile services at 6 GHz

The next World Radiocommunication Conference, in 2023, will consider IMT identifications for 100 MHz of the 6 GHz band globally, and 600 MHz of the band in Region 1. This scope of this agenda item arose out of a fight at WRC-19 between those who want to make the band available for 3GPP-based mobile broadband, and those who want to allow unlicensed/licence-exempt Wi-Fi in the band. China emerged during the conference's preparations as champions of the former view, while countries in the Americas and Europe appeared sympathetic to the latter. The band is currently allocated to the mobile service globally, meaning that individual countries can make the band available for either service on the domestic level. And just as both Wi-Fi and 5G-NR advocates fought over the scope of the WRC-23 agenda item, they also seem set to continue their fights at the domestic policy level. A research note explaining the issue is available as part of our Spectrum Research Service.