The USA’s decision to open up much of the 6 GHz band for unlicensed wireless broadband use sparked a wave of interest among regulators and service providers round the world. The WiFi Alliance developed an extension to its WiFi 6 standards, WiFi 6E, to address the expanded spectrum, and this will help ensure a broad base of equipment and devices to encourage support in other markets too.
Brazil has decided to open the full 6 GHz band (5925-7124 MHz) for unlicensed access, and a group of other countries in the Americas are expected to make their own regulatory decisions this year too. The spectrum is not earmarked for WiFi, though that is the technology in pole position in unlicensed spectrum, but with the recent ratification of 3GPP standards for 5G NR-Unlicensed, we can expect some cellular activity in 6 GHz in future, if those specs are more successful than 4G-Unlicensed in achieving scale.
Some cellular vendors and operators, and the GSMA, are lobbying for some of the 6 GHz band to be set aside for licensed 5G, especially for applications that require the guaranteed performance and QoE of fully controlled spectrum. China has been most vocal in calling for 6 GHz to support licensed 5G, while the European Union has limited unlicensed usage to the bottom 500 MHz, below 6425 MHz (partly to protect existing backhaul users). This split point at 6425 MHz is being considered by other countries too, and preliminary discussions ahead of the next ITU World Radio Conference, in 2023, are also focused on this split, with the higher portion, in 6425-7125 MHz, considered for 5G for Region 1 (EMEA region).
But in ITU Region 2 (the Americas), the allocation of most of 6 GHz for unlicensed use looks unstoppable. Regulators expected to make a decision in this vein during 2021 include those of Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Peru and Argentina.
This shows how the USA’s FCC, and Brazil’s regulator Anatel, have set an important precedent. Martha Suarez, president of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA), which campaigns for more unlicensed and shared airwaves to stimulate broadband availability, claimed Brazil’s action would unlock $163.5bn for the country’s economy, by improving access to high quality connectivity and making Brazil a hub for development of new technologies and new use cases.
“Likewise, Anatel’s decision paves the way for the future implementation of Wi-Fi 7 and NR-U technologies in Brazil, making the country a leader in cutting edge connectivity solutions,” she said in a statement.