Upper 6Hz band: Objection to telecommunications companies

Two weeks after the heads of technology of the major network operators called on the EU to quickly allocate frequencies well above 6 gigahertz for mobile communications, there is now strong opposition from other players. In a letter to the responsible Commission Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, the 58 signatories, from the Berlin-based Fritzbox manufacturer AVM and the broadband association Breko to Irish internet providers and the Wi-Fi Alliance, emphasize that the spectrum could be much better used for WLAN. Europe is already lagging when it comes to new Wi-Fi standards – and the upper 6 gigahertz band is decisive for the latest generations, such as Wi-Fi 8.

However, the mobile network operators see this the other way around for the upcoming 6G standard. The frequencies between 6.425 and 7.125 gigahertz are currently at the lower end of the frequencies allocated for Wi-Fi in Germany in 2021.

Mobile operators could compete with fiber optic expansion

There are tough business interests behind the discussion: Mobile operators could enter into direct competition with fiber optic providers if they were to exclusively use the frequency range in which transmission rates of over 5 gigabits per second would be possible. It is true that the range of these frequencies is small, and the frequency range is not suitable for developing remote areas. However, whether fiber optics is used in densely populated areas and then extremely fast WLAN is connected in this frequency range or whether mobile operators offer their connections there as an even faster alternative is a fundamental decision of frequency and broadband policy and market design.

“If telecom operators do not grant access to the 6 GHz spectrum, we will jeopardize needed fiber investments while hindering investment in new technologies,” said Martha Suarez, President of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance. “Wasting the full potential of fiber infrastructure that ends up resembling a half-finished bridge is a risk Europe should not take in the first place.”

The senders are therefore calling on the Commission to wait for an upcoming recommendation from the advisory Radio Spectrum Policy Group and to compare this with its proposal for a Digital Networks Act, expected in the fall, instead of making hasty decisions from their perspective after the World Radiocommunication Conference earmarked this part of the radio spectrum for mobile communications a year and a half ago.

(dahe)