6G Requires a Reliable Spectrum Pipeline, Carriers Tell NTIA

Wireless carriers stressed the importance of spectrum to 6G in response to a May request for comment on the state of 6G development (see 2405230010). Comments were due Aug. 21. NTIA posted them this week. Some groups released their comments when they filed them (see 2408220043).

“There is nowhere and no way to deploy 6G without sufficient and appropriate spectrum allocations,” said AT&T. Network densification allowing use of higher mid-band frequencies “will entail deployment of more sites, including antenna, associated backhaul, and power infrastructure,” the carrier said. “In turn, this will require access to facilities for siting and going through the permitting processes.” AT&T said 6G trials may start as early as 2028, but there will be “considerable overlap” between 6G and 5G and 5G-advanced.

"Making spectrum available for commercial operations," T-Mobile said, "must be the U.S. government’s top priority to ensure the success of 6G.” It noted that new 6G applications will require additional bandwidth. Today’s 5G networks “connect 100x more devices” than 4G and in 2022, U.S. networks saw more than 73.7 trillion MBs of data traffic, the carrier said: Providers will need additional low- and mid-band spectrum with channel blocks potentially as large as 400 MHz “to accommodate the applications that 6G will support.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce emphasized funding research and international collaboration on 6G. “The development of standards for critical and emerging technology, such as 6G, is best led by the private sector to promote common, technically sound approaches that deliver on technology solutions and U.S. policy objectives,” the Chamber said: “The development of 6G standards should be voluntary, open, transparent, globally recognized, consensus-based, and technology neutral.”

U.S. leadership in 6G isn’t guaranteed, Ericsson said. “Unfortunately,” the U.S. is falling behind other nations in the amount of spectrum set aside for full-power licensed use “even as data demands in North America increase,” it said, echoing carriers' comments. The company estimates mobile data traffic per month will more than triple from 2023 to 2029: “It is essential that government agencies and lawmakers ensure that a robust, actionable spectrum pipeline is developed to keep pace with peer nations, promote 5G Advanced and 6G use cases, and support growing domestic demands. Exclusive use, licensed, full-power access will remain the priority for commercial wireless deployment at scale.”

“6G," Nokia said, "is a global technology, making it critical” for the U.S. “to be a visible and a valued international partner in its development.” The government should seek “a single and global 6G technical standard” through the 3rd Generation Partnership Project and “secure harmonized 6G spectrum” at the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2027 “and collaborate with like-minded partners.” The company stressed the importance of government's active role “to drive U.S. 6G leadership.”

Mobile cellular networks “will be a critical part of 6G, particularly with the growth of fixed wireless access,” Cisco Systems commented. 6G success “will depend on its heterogenous nature and policies that support a combination of licensed, unlicensed, and private networks that can carry a high volume of data with high throughput and low latency,” the company said. Cisco urged that government “prioritize 6G policies that promote American-led technologies and the American companies that operate, support, and use our networks.”

The RFC doesn’t ask about spectrum, the Telecommunications Industry Association said. But “no conversation on the future of 6G can occur without recognizing that for 6G to succeed, the U.S. government must work with interested stakeholders to ensure that viable commercial spectrum will be made available for new and innovative wireless operations in a manner that also allows national security, public safety, and scientific incumbents sufficient spectrum to serve these critical interests,” TIA said.

The Open Radio Access Network Policy Coalition stressed the importance of R&D, U.S. leadership in standards-setting bodies and robust cybersecurity measures. “The current state of RAN offerings is characterized primarily by proprietary systems that can limit innovation and create vendor lock-in,” the coalition said. This “can also lead to higher costs, less competition, and slower deployment of new technologies, particularly in underserved and remote areas,” the group said. Proprietary systems “restrict operators to a single vendor, which can lead to monopolistic practices and reduced incentives for innovation.”

U.S. government support for “a vibrant 6G environment requires close collaboration between government and industry on relevant policy issues, including the exposition of clear U.S. government positions, consistent with private-sector priorities, across all U.S. government agencies that touch on U.S. telecommunications policy,” ATIS said: “The U.S. government through appropriations and fiscal policies should target this investment as a priority and fundamentally necessary to bolster U.S. 6G leadership and competitiveness globally.”