6G could start rolling out by 2030 – and there’s already almost enough spectrum for it

With 5G now widely available the mobile industry is beginning to look to 6G, which is likely to start being rolled out in Europe by 2030, and if you assumed lots of additional spectrum would be required for this, the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) disagrees.

The RSPG has stated that 6G can be rolled out primarily using frequency bands that are already used for the likes of 4G and 5G, including the 700MHz, 800MHz, 900MHz, 1500MHz, 1800MHz, 2GHz, 2.6GHz, 3.6GHz, 26GHz, and 42GHz bands.

However, they have previously said that 6GHz spectrum should also be reserved for 6G, but between that and the existing frequencies, there should be plenty to go around according to the RSPG.

It’s worth noting that the RSPG is an EU advisory body, so its suggestions don’t necessarily apply in the UK, but in practice we use many of those same bands here, and Ofcom is already thinking of using 6GHz spectrum for 6G. So the same principles may largely apply here.

Not nearly enough according to the GSMA

However, the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association) seems less convinced, having said back in November that 2-3GHz of extra spectrum would be needed to meet capacity by 2035-2040. So not necessarily by 6G’s launch, but within five to ten years of the rollout starting.

It remains unclear who is right here but there are potential solutions if the GSMA’s predictions are accurate. For one thing, the RSPG notes that the 26GHz and 42GHz bands still aren’t widely supported by devices, so building devices that can leverage this spectrum will help. In the UK both of those bands were recently auctioned for 5G use – though the 42GHz band is generally referred to as the 40GHz band here.

Additionally, the RSPG suggests networks make more use of spectrum sharing to meet demand.

Finally, it has previously mentioned other bands that could one day be repurposed for 6G if needed, including some sub-700MHz bands, the 3.8-4.2GHz band, the 7125-7250MHz range, and sub-THz spectrum. So a lot more spectrum may come into play eventually, but for now, as far as the RSPG is concerned at least, the already-suggested 6GHz band should probably be enough.