In China, the 6 GHz spectrum has been identified as the only high-quality resource with large bandwidth in the mid-band
The Chinese government allocated spectrum in the 6 GHz frequency band for 5G and 6G services, the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said in a statement.
The 6 GHz spectrum is the only high-quality resource with large bandwidth in the mid-band, taking into account its coverage and capacity advantages, the ministry said, noting that the 6 GHz range is particularly suitable for the deployment of 5G systems or 6G systems in the future.
MIIT noted that the allocation of the 6 GHz band at this time is “conducive to stabilizing the expectations of the 5G/6G industry.”
The ministry also said it expected the decision to promote the “global or regional division of 5G/6G spectrum resources and provide the groundwork to promote mobile communications and industrial developments.”
The Chinese authorities also confirmed that the decree reserving the allocation of the 6 GHz band will enter into force at the beginning of July.
In a blog published during MWC23 Shanghai, GSMA’s head of spectrum Luciana Camargos highlighted the fact that China had identified the upper part of the 6 GHz band for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) systems.
“China’s efforts towards the 6 GHz band don’t come as a surprise. Conducive spectrum policies for the mid-bands, especially the 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz, have helped China to deploy the world’s largest 5G networks with over 2.7 million 5G base stations by the end of April 2023 and to be on track to become the first country to reach 1 billion 5G connections in 2025,” Camargo said.
A previous study by GSMA Intelligence concluded that mid-band spectrum will drive an increase of more than $610 billion in global GDP in 2030, producing almost 65% of the overall socio-economic value generated by 5G. According to the analysis, up to 40% of the expected benefits of mid-band 5G could be lost if no additional mid-band spectrum is assigned to mobile services in the near future.
6 GHz spectrum is the largest remaining contiguous block of mid-band spectrum that can be allocated to licensed mobile in most markets, the GSMA said. Harmonization of 6 GHz spectrum could therefore provide more bandwidth and improve network performance. At the same time, the broad contiguous channels offered by the 6 GHz range could reduce the need for network densification, helping governments to speed up access to 5G services, the body added.
