Untangling the 6 GHz band

One of the clearest spectrum management trends in the last few years is the allocation of the 6 GHz band for licence-exempt/unlicensed services.

With some notable exceptions (such as China), the vast majority of the G20 group, which represents around 90% of global economic activity, have made significant moves to release the spectrum. The African Telecommunications UnionThe ATU stands for African Telecommunicati... has also recommended its members make a part of the band available.

This is excellent news for the Wi-Fi eco-system, which is looking to expand into these bands.

But every administration has different challenges relating to the band, and there is a remarkable diversity in technical rules. Some economies, such as the European Union, will only allow access to 5945 – 6425 MHz, while others, such as the US, allow access to the whole 5925 – 7125 MHz band. Some countries, such as the UK, only allow Low Power Indoor (LPI) and Very Low Power (VLP) applications, while others, such as Peru, allow Standard Power (SP) in a part of the band. Many countries segment the band, but each seems to segment it differently. Inevitably, countries tend to define LPI, VLP, and SP differently too.

The result is a confusing smorgasbord of regulations. We shed light on these variations in a new 6 GHz Benchmarking series that includes the following research notes:

• 6 GHz unlicensed: the regional picture
• 6 GHz unlicensed: the range of technical approaches
• 6 GHz: maps and tables at a glance
• 6 GHz unlicensed: detailed overview of national policies and proposals

These Research Notes are available to Spectrum Research Service subscribers here.