Weekly Wrap: A world of “firsts” in the upper 6 GHz band

The operator says it is offering “the world’s first commercial U6GHz connectivity through a fully integrated, end-to-end network using commercially available customer premises equipment (CPE) on its live 5G+ network”.

But wait a second… what’s this? Just two weeks earlier, the UAE’s other mobile operator, e&, had already said it was launching “the world’s first commercial U6GHz network”.

And back in April 2026, a release from the 2026 Samena Council Leaders’ Summit was headlined “UAE launches world’s first commercial U6GHz network”.

However, in that announcement, Saif Bin Ghelaita of UAE regulator TDRA said the Emirates’ plans for an upper 6 GHz network were set for later in 2026.

Previously, TDRA awarded the upper 6 GHz band (6425-7125 MHz), also known as band 104, to du and e& by administrative assignment.

Both received ample blocks of 350 MHz – e& has 6425-6775 MHz, while du has 6775-7125 MHz.

The mobile industry is, of course, somewhat prone to hyperbole. The US and South Korea fought hard to be the first to launch commercial 5G. Now the UAE has clearly set its heart on being the world’s upper 6 GHz flagship.

Another announcement, the third on the same subject in just over a fortnight, from China Mobile, claimed another first – but just for establishing the first upper 6 GHz network in Hong Kong. It’s not a commercial launch, but the successful completion of network testing and validation at a flagship store, which paves the way for a commercial announcement.

Hong Kong auctioned upper 6 GHz frequencies at the end of 2024, with China Mobile winning 100 MHz (6570-6670 MHz). Rivals Hong Kong Telecom and Smartone won 6670-6770 MHz and 6925-7025 MHz, respectively. So this was a less generous allocation than in the UAE.

Of the 400 MHz available in Hong Kong, 300 MHz was sold, with 7025-7125 MHz left unsold. One MNO, Hutchison, chose not to take part in the auction. Perhaps the operator decided it was too soon to commit.

A lack of use cases, scant available devices, and disappointing uptake by other mobile operators are often cited as reasons for a mobile technology’s slow adoption. The iPhone 18 may not support n104, but a number of newly released fixed wireless access (FWA) devices do. The wide bandwidth in the upper 6 GHz should be good for FWA.

In addition, several countries struggling to clear the 3.5 GHz band for 5G, such as Indonesia and Thailand, might find it easier to go straight to the upper 6 GHz band for extra capacity. The positive signs for the adoption of n104 are growing.

Here’s what else PolicyTracker covered this week:

• The Malaysian regulator has awarded spectrum in the 900 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands to CelcomDigi and Maxis via auction
• European broadcasters defended the “cultural value” of DTT in the 470-694 MHz band at a CEPTCEPT stands for the European Conference of… workshop but also signalled their openness to spectrum sharing on a case-by-case basis
• Elon Musk has made provocative comments about Starlink’s main Indian rival and the country’s licensing process for NGSONGSO, or non-geostationary satellite orbit… satellites
• Austria plans to re-award 800 MHz spectrum in autumn 2028, and the regulator has asked stakeholders whether the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands should be included in the auction
• Europe’s Electronic Communications Committee has approved guidance on licensing satellite systems that interfere with radio astronomy, despite formal requests from Iridium and the US Department of State to drop it