Telecom industry trade group GSMA has called on governments and regulators to throw weight behind the upper 6GHz band as part of “forward-looking” spectrum roadmaps to guarantee access to the necessary capacity resources for next-generation mobile networks.
GSMA made the call during its M360 ASEAN event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, noting that the 6.425–7.125 GHz band already supports mobile connections for more than 80 percent of the world’s population. More than 60 mobile operators, device manufacturers, and network equipment providers have signed up to a GSMA “unified message” backing the band for use in large-scale deployments.
Given its existing scale and significant industry backing, the GSMA contends that global regulators need to make the full upper 6GHz band available for full-power macro-cell mobile use to “meet the needs of all of their citizens.”
“The message from the mobile ecosystem is clear: we are ready to put the upper 6GHz spectrum to work for consumers and businesses around the world,” GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath noted. “Governments now have an important opportunity to turn international harmonization into real-world connectivity by prioritizing this spectrum for full-power mobile services.”
