6G at risk without upper 6 GHz band, Europe's telcos warn regulators

May 07, 2025 10:14 AM

Digital render of the 6G standard layered in a European Union flag

Europe’s leading telecom operators have issued a stark warning to policymakers: without full access to the upper 6 GHz band, the continent risks losing its footing in the global race to 6G.

Executives from Orange, BT Group, Vodafone and others are urging European regulators to allocate the entire upper 6 GHz band (6.425–7.125 GHz) exclusively for mobile use, rejecting calls to share it with Wifi or unlicensed applications, as the US has done.

The signatories argue that without this spectrum, the economic potential of next-generation 6G networks in Europe will be “curtailed significantly,” threatening the region’s contribution to global GDP.

The letter reads: “We remain concerned that access to upper 6 GHz band is still sought for Wifi 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.

“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.

“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.”

Referencing former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta's report on the future of the Single Market, the group argue that both 5G and 6G development in Europe are strategically important, further highlighting the crucial role of the upper 6 GHz band.

The operators wrote that mobile technologies designed for the 6 GHz band require 200 MHz-wide channels to function efficiently, meaning less than 600 MHz would hamper network performance and limit the benefits of 6G.

Splitting the band would also fragment the global ecosystem for 6G, “leaving Europe unable to benefit from economies of scale,” the signatories warned.

They also caution that existing mobile spectrum will be needed to sustain growing 5G demand, leaving little room for future technologies unless additional spectrum is secured now.

Mobile network traffic, they add, is expected to continue its rapid growth, with urban networks projected to reach saturation by 2030.

Opening up the full upper 6 GHz band for full-power macro-cell mobile deployments, they argue, is “the only way that Europe can ensure its digital connectivity going into the 2030s”.