Regulators Believe Spectrum Sharing Will Be the Key to 6G

Authorities covering markets across the globe outlined their expectations and challenges in deploying the next generation of mobile network technology at the 6G Global Summit in London. They cited that the ability to share spectrum with incumbent services would be the key requirement.

Levels of ambition vary for 6G. Among the more tempered assessments of the shape of the 6G era, representatives from the UK and the US cited a requirement to share spectrum bands with existing services. David Willis, group director of spectrum at UK regulator Ofcom, said they're already seeing a greater diversity in demand for spectrum, highlighting a requirement for sharing by design moving forward. He added frequencies earmarked for 6G are already used by some incumbent services, including defense that cannot be moved. “It’s clear we cannot expect these bands to be fully cleared and exclusively or almost exclusively licensed as has happened in previous Gs,” Willis said.

The requirement for sharing spectrum with critical services was also raised by Charles Cooper, associate administrator at US authority NTIA’s office of spectrum management. “Spectrum fuels national security, aviation, climate monitoring, scientific use, and radio astronomy, demanding a balanced approach. The US is also supporting the commercialization of open radio architecture to this end. This included work on software-defined radio spectrum sensing technology that protects incumbent users, such as government operations while promoting the safe and efficient use of shared spectrum”.

Levels of expectation for 6G vary across the regulators, though all are broadly positive on its potential, especially for non-consumer applications. Chair of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Anil Kumar outlined his hopes for the transformation of economies and sustainably delivering universal service, with plans for India to be at the forefront of this era. On a more cautionary note, Yoko Nakata, deputy director of the Global Strategy Division of Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, said although her country was working on strategies for the next generation, the full value of 5G was yet to be realized.

The requirement to build on previous generations, be realistic, and ensure 6G is an evolutionary technology was raised by Philip Marnick, general director of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority for the Kingdom of Bahrain. He noted a need for a change of mindset from previous generations, for example: “We need to ask ourselves, do we need a new air interface, if we do, when do we need it?”

European Union body BEREC’s vice chair Konstantinos Masselos stated the argument for the necessity of 5G to improve broadband speeds was questionable, with this even less likely to be the case for 6G. “In my opinion, 6G will not be about speed, it will be about services and we will see a change from speed-focused networks to service-focused networks.” With the commercial launch of 6G still more than half a decade away, these debates are sure to continue over the coming years, though the number of nations represented at this relatively early stage shows there is a global push to ensure they are at the forefront of the coming era.