Weekly Wrap: MNOs say shift to 6G should be evolutionary

The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN) has published a new report that summarises its key 6G messages. Many of the world’s biggest mobile network operators (MNOs) are members of this group, including Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and China Mobile.

The report states that 6G “is not another generational shift” and should be “evolutionary”. It argues that 6G standards must be harmonised globally and build upon existing features first introduced in 5G.

“6G standards must learn from the mistakes of 5G, including multiple architecture options, features that are never used and use cases that have no market pull,” the report says. “The industry needs to develop solutions that have tangible pull from potential customers, as there is increasing concern from operators about the affordability of investment in networks for the sake of technology development.”

The idea that 6G should be more streamlined than previous generations is not new but is becoming more mainstream. At a 6G workshop held by the standards organisation 3GPP3GPP stands for the Third Generation Partn… earlier this year, we reported on a shift in attitude. Stakeholders rejected overcomplicated specifications and pushed for features that can be profitable.

Where does this leave spectrum policy? Will 6G need new spectrum bands? Many industry analysts have argued it will not. The NGMN does not go quite as far as that. The report says that although it’s “crucial to maintain existing IMTInternational Mobile Telecommunications (I… spectrum identifications,” it’s also important to secure “new IMT spectrum” in the 6–15 GHz range.

New spectrum resources will be useful only in locations where capacity expansion is needed, says the NGMN. For existing sites that are coping fine, it suggests the existing IMT spectrum will suffice, and 6G features should instead be enabled via “software upgrade”.

But if new spectrum assets are only needed in a few high-capacity hotspots, is it worth the hassle of clearing incumbents out of the 6–15 GHz band range? Furthermore, does the idea of national licences still make sense if new 6G deployments will be highly localised?

And where does this leave rural, underconnected populations? MNOs have already been criticised for focusing their 5G deployments on big cities. If this vision of 6G becomes reality, rural populations could be left out by design.

This report shows that as operators reckon with the reality of 5G, they are looking towards 6G with more clarity. But despite their reduced ambitions, the push for more spectrum remains a key message.

Here’s what else we covered this week:

• As the 3.8–4.2 GHz band is poised to become the harmonised EU private network band, we consider how it might be assigned and what countries can learn from UK regulator Ofcom’s approach.
• A new call for evidence on the European Commission’s Digital Networks Act (DNA) is now open for feedback, as it considers various spectrum-related actions.
• The European Commission is considering adding satellite direct-to-device (D2D) services to its IRIS² constellation.
• We considered the policy implications of Vodafone Australia accusing Telstra of misleading users with its mobile coverage claims.
• Ofcom received mixed responses to its proposal for a hybrid sharing solution in the upper 6 GHz band.