After WRC-23 harmonisation, more than 80% of the world’s population is in countries that support the 6.425–7.125 GHz band for mobile. The GSMA urges national regulators to include the full upper 6 GHz band in forward-looking spectrum roadmaps and permit full-power macro-cell use to enable large-scale deployment and future 6G channel widths.
Countries covering over 80% of the global population now support mobile use of the upper 6 GHz band (6.425–7.125 GHz) after WRC-23 harmonisation.
More than 60 operators, device makers, chipset and equipment vendors joined the GSMA to say the ecosystem can supply equipment and solutions for large-scale upper 6 GHz deployments.
GSMA asks governments and regulators to include the full upper 6 GHz band in national spectrum roadmaps and make it available for full-power macro-cell mobile use to meet city-wide capacity needs.
This mid-band spectrum delivers city-wide capacity when deployed by full-power macro cells. As mobile data traffic grows, additional mid-band frequencies are needed to expand capacity without relying solely on higher-frequency localised deployments. The upper 6 GHz band can enable very wide channels—200–400 MHz—that are expected to be required in the 6G era. That makes it a strategic resource for both near-term 5G-Advanced evolution and longer-term 6G planning.
Industry readiness and initial awards
More than 60 mobile operators, device manufacturers, chipset firms, network equipment providers and related organisations have joined the GSMA message that the ecosystem is prepared to deliver equipment and solutions for large-scale upper 6 GHz deployment. The first national assignments of upper 6 GHz spectrum have already taken place, and further awards are expected across EMEA, Asia-Pacific and the Americas as market demand develops.
What the GSMA is asking policymakers to do
The GSMA's request to governments and national regulators is concrete:
The GSMA frames these steps as necessary to give operators certainty for investment, help countries meet digital ambitions, and support mobile development described as efficient, innovative and inclusive.
Policy rationale and spectrum principles
The statement reiterates a standard spectrum policy position: assignments should be timely and market-driven, with balanced conditions that encourage efficient use. The GSMA argues that national policy choices are now the decisive factor in turning the international harmonisation achieved at WRC-23 into real-world connectivity benefits.
If regulators enable full-power macro use and set pro-investment conditions, the upper 6 GHz band could become a major capacity resource for dense urban and suburban coverage and a bridge technology toward 6G. The pace of national awards and the specific licensing conditions will determine how quickly operators can deploy at scale and how widely device support and network equipment ecosystems expand.
Greece has proposed that European Union states should create a European Spectrum Union which could use some of the funds raised by future national sales of 6G mobile spectrum for technology investment, easing pressure on the bloc's budget.
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