Wi-Fi Advocates and Carriers at Loggerheads on Licensed Spectrum and 6G

Wi-Fi and other unlicensed technologies carry more than half of all global traffic on the internet, with more than 85% of mobile traffic offloaded to Wi-Fi, said WifiForward. NTIA’s work on 6G should recognize the major role unlicensed plays, the group said. In addition, it said NTIA should be careful about statements calling for 6G spectrum because “no commercial technology generation requires its own spectrum allocation.” Future statements should “indicate the federal government’s support for heterogenous networks.” It urged an inquiry into the advancement of Wi-Fi 8 technology, “which is also in development and will be a key part of broadband delivery for decades to come.”

It continued, “A foundational element of the government’s efforts on 6G is to recognize that ‘6G’ is a wireless technology generation -- not, as large carriers would have it, shorthand for the wide-area cellular network and associated business model.” WifiForward said: “5G today uses exclusive-licensed spectrum, to be sure, but it depends heavily on offloading data to Wi-Fi networks, and one of the most successful new applications in the 5G generation has been private 5G networks using shared-licensed spectrum.”

CTIA countered that “the linchpin for 6G leadership” is a road map providing “secure, reliable, full-power, licensed spectrum in globally harmonized frequency … ranges.” The U.S. trails peer nations by an average of 378 MHz on the amount of mid-band spectrum available for licensed use, the group said. It underscored the importance to carriers of the lower 3 GHz and 7/8 GHz bands, which are being studied under the national spectrum strategy.

CTIA also stressed the importance of standards development and working with trusted nations around the world on harmonization: “The U.S. will not maintain its position as a global technology leader if it is on a wireless technology island.” Full-power, licensed spectrum is critical for wireless networks “and will continue to be necessary in the 6G environment.”

Leadership in 6G is critical to national security, CTIA said. As the U.S. and trusted vendors focus on 5G “and look ahead to 6G technologies, China is likewise seeking to dominate various emerging technology sectors, and spectrum is a key aspect of its initiative,” CTIA said. Early leadership on spectrum policy “is of critical importance to vendor certainty and strategic partnerships in the emerging 6G landscape,” the wireless association said: “Other countries and regions will represent a challenge only if the U.S. does not or is unable to advance 6G.”

“There will be no 6G without new licensed mid-band spectrum,” 5G Americas argued. “The time is ripe” for NTIA and other federal regulators and policymakers “to move from theory to practice and begin the process of making spectrum identified in the [national spectrum strategy] available for commercial use,” the group said: NTIA should “accelerate its work on identifying federal incumbent uses that could realistically be repacked or relocated in the short and long term.”

Public Knowledge and the Open Technology Institute at New America called for a “whole-of-government approach” ensuring that 6G reaches everyone. They stressed the importance of “balancing licensed and unlicensed spectrum allocations,” extending the citizens broadband radio service sharing model to other bands and using spectrum auction revenue “to support development in the public interest.”

“Historically, the federal government has often overlooked the impact of spectrum distribution on diverse constituencies, including communities of color and low-income communities, of consumers, workers, and business owners,” PK and OTI said. Technologists and policymakers have “mistakenly believed that because cell towers can provide service to large enough areas to cover traditionally white and non-white neighborhoods, there was no need to specifically invest in deploying wireless services to marginalized communities.”

CTA said lessons from 5G show the importance of balancing spectrum allocations “among licensed, unlicensed, and shared uses, allowing for the most efficient usage of the spectrum.” 5G also underscored the importance of harmonized spectrum and working through ITU "and other international organizations to ensure a standardized deployment and regulatory strategy,” CTA said.

NTIA should focus in part on nontraditional use cases, CTA said. “By supporting augmented and virtual realities, consumers could experience immersive hands-on learning that would make education and training more effective in high-stakes fields such as medicine,” the group said: “Smart cities, supported by 6G technology, offer significant benefits by enhancing the efficiency of urban operations through optimized resource management and reduced environmental impacts.”