In a recent chat with Wireless Watch, Ofcom’s Group Director for Spectrum, David Willis, shared his views on the 6 GHz band, in light of the European Commission’s RSPG’s decision to allocate most of this band to MNOs. The RSPG decision was something of a surprise move to Ofcom, and means that the regulator may have to rethink its own plans for the 6 GHz band. We also discussed spectrum licensing for new direct-to-device communications and this year’s mmWave auction.
While mobile operators in Europe have defeated WiFi in the upper 6 GHz band, the landscape in the UK seems to be less contentious.
As a reminder, the European Commission’s (EC) Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) recently chose to designate the majority of the upper 6 GHz spectrum for mobile use. There are some further details to be hashed out, but the decision shows a remarkable commitment to mobile, and not just the denial of allocations for WiFi, but a rejection of the possibility of sharing the band.
In the UK, Ofcom has been considering an ambitious hybrid sharing model for the upper 6 GHz band (6,425–7,125 MHz) between WiFi and licensed mobile technologies, since 2023.
The two sharing options under consideration are a “variable spectrum split” and “indoor/outdoor split.” In the former scenario, both WiFi and mobile would be able to use any part of the band where the other is not deployed, but have sections of it that they are prioritised in. The indoor/outdoor split would be managed by prioritizing the indoor use of WiFi and outdoor mobile use. But the RSPG decision has led Ofcom to pause its current trajectory.
“We are going to take a little bit of time to absorb the recent changes in the RSPG, and reflect on the changes and the motivations for them,” said Willis.
“It potentially means that we would do further consultation on our plans, given that the RSPG has probably moved a little bit off of where we expected they were landing.”
The decision on how to allocate the 6 GHz band requires making a bet on which technology system (WiFi or mobile) will be the most in demand, and thus require more spectrum, in the future, said Willis.
“It helps to have spectrum on reserve for potential demand in 2031 or 2032, versus a technology that maybe can take advantage of a little bit today. That’s the balance we’re trying to achieve. We have seen a change from the RSPG that says that 6G and mobile is really important to some of the stakeholders, and that, as well as a bit of wait-and-see, has crept into the RSPG decision,” said Willis.
“Leaving spectrum fallow is not always a great use, so that’s the other factor we’re going to try and balance. But we’re reflecting on what came because there’s definitely advantages to having an ecosystem that’s compatible with Europe.”
The option of hybrid sharing is not dead in the water in the UK.
“There are legitimate forecasts for both technology types that could have a regulatory framework that allows flexibility to deploy as the demand materializes and becomes concrete. This would be a very good thing, and that’s why we were so much into exploring hybrid sharing,” he said.
A major factor influencing this decision is mobile data rates. If mobile data continues to grow at an increasing rate, mobile networks will require more spectrum to meet demand. While there is evidence to show that data rate growth is slowing, Ofcom’s recent Connected Nations report shows the same growth rate as the previous year.
The report said that monthly mobile data traffic increased by 18% in 2025, to 1,257 PB – “a growth rate broadly consistent with the previous year.”
But in 2024, the report showed a decline in the rate of growth. “Mobile traffic continues to grow, though at a slower pace, with overall monthly traffic levels increasing by around 18% to 1069 PB this year compared to the ~25% growth between 2022 and 2023,” the 2024 report said.
Both years included traffic generated by Fixed Wireless Access in the overall figure. In the UK, FWA accounts for around 2-40% of an MNO’s overall traffic, depending on the MNO. FWA traffic is certainly impacting the figures, but the extent of this is not known.
This lack of clarity on traffic growth is weighing on the Ofcom decision. “We have seen, for a while, some slowdown in mobile data demand, and then it’s maybe uptick again lately. What is the real view of what that looks like?” said Willis.
D2D license changes
Ofcom is also in the process of reviewing the spectrum available to satellite operators, to increase the availability of direct-to-device (D2D) or direct-to-smartphone communications, the likes of which are exploding in popularity – largely led by SpaceX and its Starlink LEO constellation.
In the last few weeks, UK MNO VMO2 announced its D2D deal with Starlink, providing connections for messaging and data services on certain apps for its customers using standard mobile devices.
Ofcom is in the process of updating its licensing frameworks for satellite services, to allow for more such MNO-satellite operator partnerships. The new framework will enable MNOs to request variations to their existing licenses, authorizing them to offer D2D connectivity in spectrum bands below 3GHz.
“We are putting in place a regulatory framework that allows you to do direct-to-device in spectrum that’s used by MNOs, versus other direct-to-device offers that require dedicated mobile satellite spectrum and special chipsets in the phone,” said Willis. “The motivation is much more to fill in some of those, not spots or for emergency scenarios.”
Typically, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) sets rules around spectrum for satellite services, at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC). But there is so much demand for these services that regulators are making changes before the next conference, in 2027, Willis said.
“Because this service is so compelling in terms of being able to connect the unconnected, both satellite and commercial network operators have asked for an earlier set of rules that would let those services operate in advance of those international rules being established,” said Willis.
Will the growing adoption of direct-to-device connectivity replace the role of the MNO? No, the services will be complementary, according to the Ofcom Group Director.
“It’s been very clear in a lot of what’s been discussed that these are intended at least from the sky, as complementary,” he said. “If you look at the capacity that you’re able to deliver today, it’s not close to being a replacement service in any area that has a high population density.”
Ofcom is in the final stages of updating its licensing conditions and expects to have it enabled in early 2026. The regulator is making tweaks to the technical conditions in certain bands where there is interference with incumbent spectrum holders. The 2.6 GHz band has some potential for interference with radio services, such as radio location services and radars in the 2.7 GHz band, Willis said.
This structure is similar to that adopted by regulators in Canada, the US, and Australia, Willis said. “We looked at their frameworks and then used what’s available to us to put a framework in place here,” he said. “Effectively, the terminals, the device that receives the signal, are going to be made license-exempt and be allowed to receive satellite signals on that basis, and we’re going to include within the mobile network operator license for the band to use that frequency from space as well as terrestrially.”
It will be down to each MNO to decide how to share its spectrum with the satellite operator for these services.
“The trade-off is between freeing up some of their spectrum for this service is continuing to use it for their terrestrial service, so they have a holding right, depending on how important they see this service, how tight their holdings are, all those factors, it’s a decision. It’s in their hands; the service won’t be authorized without their support,” said Willis.
UK mmWave auction
In October, Ofcom completed a long-awaited mmWave auction. EE, VMO2, and VodafoneThree each paid £13 million for 1.8 GHz, across the 26 GHz and 40 GHz bands.
“mmWave has been a fun topic; from really heavy hype in 2017, to probably a lot of disappointment and lack of clarity around what people might do with it. We wrestled with that. But from a spectrum regulator perspective, holding spectrum back and not making it available is a guarantee that it’s not going to get used,” said Willis.
Ofcom appointed 68 licenses covering densely populated areas, but does not expect to see an immediate impact – at least until mmWave-enabled devices become more widely available.
“The enterprise applications are likely starting points where you can go out and get the handsets, or the end devices that you need for that particular site. But we’re hopeful that it starts driving other applications. We’ve seen deployments in unlicensed millimeter wave or license-exempt millimeter wave spectrum for railway corridors, for example, as well. The hope is that spectrum being available relatively cheaply should unleash some creativity,” he said.
The 6 GHz battleground
As per the RSPG’s opinion, either 665 MHz or 700 MHz of spectrum in the 6.425 – 7.250 GHz range will be allocated to mobile use, depending on the outcome of decisions made at the ITU meeting, WRC-27, in two years’ time.
The decision relies on the assumption that 6G mobile networks will be doing the majority of the work to support mobile communications, and reduces the role of WiFi greatly. Many industry observers were disappointed at the RSPG decision.
“It really is a pity. This would have been an opportunity to drive innovation and enable more dynamic markets and new products in Europe — something that is so often called for in discussions, especially in the EU context. Yet once again, old reflexes prevail, and we end up choosing the ‘safe’ path and maintaining the status quo,” wrote Petri Mahonen, Professor and Vice Dean at Aalto University, School of Electrical Engineering in Finland, in a LinkedIn comment.
There is a global split happening around the use of 6 GHz. Europe and China have committed to mobile allocation, while the US, Canada, and South Korea, with stronger support of WiFi, have so far left the band free for unlicensed use.
To commit such precious spectrum real estate solely to mobile requires the presumption that mobile data consumption will rapidly rise, and that the demand will be hosted by the mobile networks. But given the poor quality of indoor mobile coverage, certainly in Europe and the US, the RSPG decision could be damaging.
In Europe, things could go even further in the operators’ favor if the GSMA gets its way. The operator alliance is now pushing for a huge increase in spectrum. While most countries today allocate around 1 GHz for mobile use, the alliance is calling for three or even four times this amount for 6G networks.