In recent years, regulators globally have released a significant amount of new spectrum for wireless services, primarily in the mid-bands between 3.3 and 4 GHz [See here and here]. This wave of allocations has largely subsided as most countries have now assigned the majority of the cleared spectrum. We are currently at a point where new spectrum blocks may not be available for some time. This period allows for an assessment of existing spectrum inventories and evolving needs. With global organizations and national regulators involved in spectrum planning, we can gain insights into future mobile frequency bands.
Global Activities
The International Telecommunications Union World Radio Conference (ITU WRC), in its 2023 edition held in Dubai, identified several bands for mobile services (referred to as International Mobile Telecommunications – IMT – in their terminology). The table below summarizes the bands with two caveats to note. First, countries can allocate frequency bands in whole or in part depending on their needs, resulting in some omitted details. Second, some national regulators have already allocated some of these bands to mobile services.
| Region 1 (Europe, Africa, West Asia) | Region 2 (Americas) | Region 3 (Asia and Pacific) | |
| Identified for IMT at WRC 2023 | • 470-694 MHz • 3300 – 3400 MHz • 6425 – 7125 MHz | • 3600 – 3700 MHz • 6425 – 7125 MHz (Allocated to unlicensed / Wi-Fi in the US & Canada) • 10 – 10.5 GHz | • 3300 – 3400 MHz • 7025 – 7125 MHz Note: 6425 – 7125 MHz was identified for IMT in China |
| Identified for study for IMT at WRC 2027 | • 4400 – 4800 MHz • 7.125 – 7.25 GHz • Parts of 7.75 – 8.4 GHz • 14.8 – 15.35 GHz | • 7125 – 8400 MHz • 14.8 – 15.35 GHz | • 4400 – 4800 MHz • 7125 – 8400 MHz • 14.8 – 15.35 GHz |
US Activities
The FCC is undertaking a number of spectrum band studies, of which the most relevant to mobile services include the Upper 12 GHz band:
- 12.7 – 13.25 GHz band is under consideration for flexible use (i.e. 5G/6G mobile or fixed wireless access).
The FCC had earlier considered the 12.2 – 12.7 GHz band (Low 12 GHz), which is assigned to satellite broadcasting services, specifically the downlink for Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) services. However, in 2023, the FCC ruled against flexible use or mobility services for this band, although it remains under consideration for fixed licensed or unlicensed use. Multichannel Video Distribution and Data Service (MVDDS), a one-way non-broadcast direct-to-home wireless service also shares this band with DBS. Leading up to the FCC’s decision, there was a contentious battle between proponents of mobility services, including Dish/Echostar and RA Access owned by Michael Dell, on one side, and Starlink on the other side. [See here].
Looking further out, the NTIA in its November 2023 National Spectrum Strategy, identified a number of bands for study, of which the most relevant for mobile services include:
- 3100 – 3450 MHz band (Lower 3 GHz): The band is currently used by the Department of Defense (DoD) which determined that sharing the spectrum would be feasible provided some interference mitigation techniques are implemented. This would allow potentially up to 350 MHz of spectrum to become available for mobile services.
- 7125 – 8400 MHz: The NTIA identified this band for wireless broadband use on licensed or unlicensed basis. The band is currently occupied by a variety of mission-critical Federal government operations, including Fixed, Fixed Satellite, Mobile, Mobile Satellite, Space Research, Earth Exploration Satellite, and Meteorological Satellite services. This means that only parts of this 1,275 MHz swath could be repurposed in order to protect incumbent users.
Key Takeaways
The first key takeaway on future mobile frequency bands is convergence between Asia and the EMEA region on allocating at least parts of the 6425 – 7125 MHz band for mobile services. In North America, this band has been allocated for unlicensed use cases (Wi-Fi). However, the NTIA has identified the 7125 – 8400 MHz band for study, where parts of this band could potentially support mobile services in the future. These bands are the most likely candidates to feature future 6G services as they align well with the evolving massive MIMO and beamforming technologies.
The second takeaway is to note the allocation of spectrum in the 470 – 694 MHz range for mobile services in Europe, Africa, parts of the Middle East, Russia, Central Asian states, and Mongolia. This band partially overlaps with TV whitespace bands in North America. Harmonizing regulations across these regions should encourage greater utility of this band for both fixed wireless access as well as mobile services.