Europe’s telecommunication companies demand to allocate this band for mobile networks (Oct. 24)
Data usage in mobile networks is growing year-on-year by up to 25%. We expect that the spectrum currently allocated to mobile networks will not be able to satisfy customer demand in the future. This will result in a decrease of performance of mobile networks in Germany from the year 2028 on. Similar capacity constraints will impact other European countries. For this reason, the CEOs of eleven leading European telecommunication companies have asked the European Commission (EC) to allocate the upper 6 GHz spectrum band (6.425 – 7.125 MHz) to mobile networks. The discussion about sharing the spectrum between mobile networks and WiFi will not help to achieve the connectivity targets of Germany and the EC. Deutsche Telekom fully supports to allocate the upper 6 GHz band to mobile networks and thus implement the decision taken by the World Radio Conference 2023.
Rollout 5G SA - prepare for 6G
The EC is asked by the CEOs to take an unequivocal decision for mobile networks. In light of political ambitions to be the leading player in mobile connectivity and technology, the allocation of this spectrum band is essential. Only by taking this action will it be possible for Germany and Europe to be competitive compared to leading markets in Asia and North America.
The upper 6 GHz spectrum is critically needed for further rollout of 5G stand-alone (SA) technology. It is also crucial for the future introduction of the next technology generation 6G. Only the allocation of this band can assure that mobile networks can provide sufficient capacity for the increasing mobile traffic.
Enrico Letta’s report, “Much more than a market”, comes to the same conclusion as the CEOs, stating: “Europe’s strategic interest lies in safeguarding its leadership in 5G and 6G development and standardisation […]. Allocating [the upper 6GHz band] for IMT use is crucial for facilitating the high-performance and quality development of 5G services, which, in turn, will lay the groundwork for 6G technologies”.
World Radio Conference identified the upper 6 GHz band for mobile networks
The World Radio Conference 2023 (WRC-23) identified the upper 6 GHz band for mobile networks in region 1. The 700 MHz spectrum in this band are the last large contiguous band that can be allocated to mobile networks to satisfy the increases demand for capacity.
In Europe, 590 MHz of capacity spectrum are currently allocated to mobile networks. In contrast, in the United States, 724 MHz are available and in China 1.340 MHz, more than twice the amount compared to Europe, will be available with the planned allocation of the upper 6 GHz band.
Instead of the necessary quick implementation of the WRC-23 decisions, Europe is caught in a technocratic discussion on sharing the spectrum between mobile networks and WiFi. These discussions by the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunication Administrations (CEPT) clearly demonstrate that there are no sharing mechanisms that will not significantly decrease the technical or commercial benefit of the spectrum.
The proponents of WiFi, led by U.S.-based companies like META, propose to limit transmission power of mobile antennas in such a degree, that mobile network rollout will be technically impossible and commercially unviable.
WiFi does not need more spectrum. In 2021, an additional 480 MHz of spectrum have already been allocated to WiFi, nearly doubling the amount available. This additional spectrum is mostly unused in Germany and Europe. As the primary provider of fixed network services and WiFi routers to our customers and operator of public WiFi hot spots, we see no demand for additional WiFi spectrum. On the other hand, additional spectrum for mobile networks is critically needed.
Telekom emphasizes critical importance of the upper 6 GHz spectrum
Deutsche Telekom provides a stable and highly performant mobile network for its customers, and invests billions every year into these networks. An allocation of the upper 6 GHz band, or parts thereof, to WiFi, or restrictive technical conditions due to sharing would decrease the performance of mobile networks in the long run. Network providers and equipment manufacturers willing to invest in Europe need stable conditions to justify these investments. This will lead to the rollout of additional mobile capacity in Europe.
Sharing of the spectrum between mobile networks and WiFi would only benefit U.S.-based companies that do not invest into additional network capacity in Europe.