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Ofcom Moves Ahead with Plan to Share Upper 6GHz Radio Band for Mobile and Wi-Fi in the UK

Ofcom, the UK’s independent regulator for telecoms (among other things), has recently confirmed that the UK is set to be the first European country to adopt a proposal that allows low power indoor Wi-Fi signals and outdoor mobile broadband (4G, 5G etc.) networks to “share” access to the Upper 6GHz radio spectrum band (6425 to 7125MHz).

This comes as very welcome and celebratory news to Wi-Fi professionals across the country, who have been waiting for this to happen for a while! 

The lower part of the 6GHz band (5925 to 6425MHz) has already been made available for Wi-Fi by Ofcom through the latest Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 standards. However, the availability (or lack of) of the upper part has remained the subject to debate. 

Why do Mobile and Wi-Fi operators want access to the Upper 6GHz band?

Mobile operators want to harness the upper band, in a licensed way, in order to deliver faster 5G and future 6G based data speeds. 

Other groups maintain that the upper band should be accessed by licence-exempt consumer Wi-Fi. 

Current users of the upper band, for example, satellite, radio astronomy and fixed services, also share concerns that allowing access to other users will risk causing interference.

Part of the proposal has also been to allow outdoor and higher power Wi-Fi to operate within the Lower 6GHz band under the control of an Automated Frequency Coordination database (historically only low power indoor use Wi-Fi has accessed the lower band). The AFC database will help protect other users from interference, whilst improving Wi-Fi coverage in places like hospitals, factories and sports stadiums. 

Both sides of the debate, for and against sharing access to the upper 6GHz band, have given strong arguments. Ofcom have spent the last few years looking into ‘hybrid sharing’ to try and find some middle-ground between the two camps. This would, hopefully, mean that both Wi-Fi and mobile could be used in the upper 6GHz band. We should caveat this by saying that the co-existence of the two without causing interference remains a challenge. 

How does this ‘hybrid sharing’ of the Upper 6GHz band work? 

Ofcom’s ‘hybrid sharing’ approach works by dividing up the upper 6GHz band. This means that Wi-Fi would be prioritised in one part and mobile in the other. Each would have clear technical conditions and controls attached, which would help to limit the risks from interference. 

The new consultation closes on the 20th March 2026 and finalises Ofcom’s proposals. You can read the full consultation and statement here. 

Although this is very exciting for us Wi-Fi professionals, we must remember that implementation will be a slow process.

Ofcom’s Group Director for Spectrum, David Willis said:

“Today’s announcements reaffirm the UK’s position as a leader in Europe in getting the most out of the airwaves we all rely on.

Sharing Upper 6 GHz would be a win for businesses and homes across the country who want both better Wi-Fi and mobile networks that are fit for the future. And our decision on lower 6 GHz will boost broadband services across the UK.

Our plans open the doors to further economic growth and investment, while supporting the delivery of crucial innovations like 6G in the future.”

What are the latest Ofcom decisions in the Proposal to Share Upper 6GHz Band? 

  • Ofcom will authorise, under a licence exemption, use of outdoor and higher power Wi-Fi devices (up to 36 dBm EIRP) in the Lower 6 GHz band (5925–6425 MHz) provided they are under the control of an AFC system.
  • As a result, they will require implementation of an AFC system by third parties. They are separately consulting on the details necessary to implement that AFC system.
  • Whilst they are consulting further on approaches to enable Wi-Fi in the Upper 6 GHz band (6425–7125 MHz), they will proceed with making low power Wi-Fi client devices available across the Upper 6 GHz band, provided they are connected to an authorised Access Point (“AP”, for example a Wi-Fi router). This decision should allow client devices to be made available for possible future use of the band, thereby helping faster adoption. Use in the band, in practice, will only become possible once they have made a decision on the proposals below to enable Access Points in Upper 6 GHz.
  • They will adopt a sub-national licencing approach for mobile in the Upper 6 GHz band in the “mobile priority” portion of the band. They intend to award mobile licences in “high density” areas of the UK and expect to implement a local licensing arrangement (for example, on a first come, first served basis) outside of these high density areas. We will consult further on the specifics of this in spring 2026.

What are Ofcom proposing for Mobile and Wi-Fi use of the Upper 6GHz band? A Brief Summary:

  • Ofcom will implement prioritised spectrum sharing in the Upper 6 GHz band, with:

– A “Wi-Fi- priority” portion in the bottom 160 MHz of the band (6425–6585 MHz).

– A “mobile priority” portion in the upper 540 MHz (6585–7125 MHz).

  • Ofcom will make the Wi-Fi priority portion available on the same basis as spectrum in the Lower 6 GHz band. This includes indoor and very lower power Wi-Fi, and also outdoor and higher power Wi-Fi provided this is under the control of an AFC system.
  • Ofcom will enable early access for Wi-Fi in the mobile priority portion of Upper 6 GHz. In response to feedback from the February 2025 consultation, we propose to only allow this access for Wi-Fi which is under the control of an AFC system. This will ensure that we can clear Wi-Fi out of the way, in the locations and channels where mobile deploys later on.

Mobile Operator Use of the Upper 6GHz Band

Of course, as we said above, the full implementation of this will take a while, especially in terms of mobile use (4G, 5G, 6G). 

This proposal and approach from Ofcom is in part linked to the efforts in Europe to harmonise the use of the same band. A policy very similar to this is expected in 2028. Ofcom is not expecting the support of mobile hardware equipment until 2030. 

Wi-Fi Use of Upper 6GHz Band

As we mentioned earlier, the Wi-Fi side of things requires the new AFC database to help reduce the risk of interference, so that will show down implementation. How does AFC work? It automatically identifies frequencies that can be used by Wi-Fi, without having an impact on existing services. This keeps the task of spectrum management and administration as low demand as possible. The US and Canada already use the AFC system, and other countries are in the consideration stages. 

What do you think about the proposal to share Upper 6GHz band for UK mobile and Wi-Fi? 

Perspectives differ and the debate surrounding this is passionate on both sides. As Wi-Fi professionals, we have been waiting for this to happen for a while and we are excited about what this means for Wi-Fi deployment and coverage for many UK businesses. 

Why will access to the upper 6GHz band be good for Wi-Fi professionals? 

As Wi-Fi engineers, our job is to deploy strong, reliable Wi-Fi with robust coverage in a myriad of business settings and industries. 

Access to the upper 6GHz band will provide Wi-Fi professionals like us here at Geekabit with a massive amount of clean, uncongested spectrum.

In simple terms, access to the Upper 6GHz band for Wi-Fi means:

  • faster speeds
  • lower latency
  • greater capacity

These are all essential for high-density and mission-critical environments like factories, hospitals, and stadiums. 

Key Benefits of Accessing the Upper 6GHz Band for Wi-Fi Professionals:

  • Vastly Increased Capacity and Bandwidth: The 6 GHz band can add as much as 1200 MHz of new, contiguous spectrum (depending on the region), more than doubling the combined bandwidth of the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. This extra capacity is crucial for environments with a high density of users and devices, allowing networks to handle heavy traffic volumes without performance degradation.
  • Reduced Interference and Congestion: The band is a “greenfield” (empty) spectrum, meaning it is reserved for newer Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 devices only. This exclusivity eliminates interference from older legacy devices and neighboring networks, providing a much cleaner and more reliable radio frequency (RF) environment.
  • Lower Latency for Critical Applications: The 6 GHz band enables extremely low latency connections, often as low as under one millisecond. This is vital for real-time applications such as remote medical imaging, augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) training simulations, autonomous robotics in factories, and instant replays in stadiums.
  • Wider Channels for Higher Speeds: The large swaths of contiguous spectrum allow for the use of wider channels (e.g., 80 MHz and 160 MHz, and even 320 MHz with Wi-Fi 7). These wider channels facilitate multi-gigabit speeds and higher data throughput, which is perfect for transferring large files like high-resolution medical images.
  • Improved Network Efficiency and Management: Offloading newer, high-performance devices to the 6 GHz band frees up capacity on the existing 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. This improves performance for older devices that cannot access 6 GHz and gives Wi-Fi professionals more flexibility in channel planning and network design.
  • Enhanced Security: The adoption of the 6 GHz band with Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 often mandates the use of the latest WPA3 security protocol, offering more robust encryption and authentication to protect sensitive data, such as patient records in a hospital.
  • Support for Innovation: Access to this spectrum future-proofs networks, enabling the adoption of emerging, bandwidth-intensive technologies and services like IoT devices, real-time analytics, and advanced automation, which can enhance operational efficiency and customer care. 

By leveraging the upper 6 GHz band, Wi-Fi professionals like us can design and deploy more resilient, high-performance, and secure wireless networks capable of meeting the rigorous demands of complex environments like our clients in factories, hospitals and stadiums. 

by admin
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6 GHz Cisco Cruise Ship Connectivity FCC US Wi-Fi
6 GHz Wi-Fi on Cruise Ships? Cisco Petitions FCC to Allow It

A new presentation from worldwide technology leader Cisco is appealing to the Federal Communications Commission to allow 6 GHz low-power indoor Wi-Fi operations aboard cruise ships. You can read their petition in full here. 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. It plays a crucial role in managing the nation’s communications infrastructure and ensuring fair competition, public safety, and media responsibility. 

Cisco and the FCC met last week where Cisco delivered their presentation appealing for 6 GHz to be allowed on cruise ships. 

In their report, Cisco say that 19 million passengers per year are transported by the cruise industry in the US, and growing at a rate of 4.5% every year.

Why is the 6 GHz Band Not Allowed on Ships? 

6 GHz was originally prohibited on ships in order to protect EESS remote sensing measurements across the oceans. 

EESS stands for Electrical Energy Storage System. It’s a technology that captures and stores electrical energy for later use, like a rechargeable battery. These systems are important for ensuring reliable power supply. 

However, EESS has now moved away from the 6 GHz band, making the restriction redundant. 

Back in 2023, the World Radiocommunication Conference decided to migrate EESS ocean sensing operations out of the 6 GHz band, making the original 6 GHz prohibition obsolete.

EESS operations are to transition to 4200-4400 MHz and 8400-8500 MHz frequency bands. This allocation of a new frequency has meant that there is already support for lifting the prohibition on unlicensed operations. There is a clear legal framework that enables the targeted Wi-Fi exemption for cruise ships. 

There are existing statutory definitions that the FCC can rely on that distinguish cruise ships from other types of boats and vessels. For example:

  • Cruise ships must be over 100 gross tons in weight, 200 feet in length, carrying more than 12 passengers. 
  • Vessels must travel defined routes lasting over 24 hours on high seas, embarking passengers in U.S. territories. 
  • Charter vessels and tour vessels must weigh less than 100 tons gross, making them statutorily distinct.
  • Cruise ships include multiple decks, restaurants, bars, spas, casinos, resembling hotels more than boats.

Why is 6 GHz Connectivity Needed on Cruise Ships Out at Sea?

Whether you are a seasoned cruise ship guest or have never cruised out on the open ocean, you might question the necessity of needing connectivity when you’re not in port. 

Allowing 6 GHz Wi-Fi whilst out at sea not only enhances the cruise experience for guests but also provides reliable connectivity to support critical ship operations.

6 GHz Connectivity for Guest Services on Cruise Ships

They might be on holiday but passengers are likely to still want to stay connected. Let’s face it, we tend to feel a bit lost when we don’t have a reliable connection at our fingertips. Cruise ship passengers will still want the opportunity to:

  • Stream movies from ship data centers 
  • Experience AR/VR for gaming
  • Rely on a connection for dining and retail purposes  
  • Access advisories
  • Communicate via the ship’s app
  •  Make Wi-Fi calls 

Any business in the hospitality industry strives for the best possible guest experience. Wi-Fi is a huge part of that, whether you’re on land or out at sea. 

A weak, poor or non-existent Wi-Fi performance at sea will affect promenade, pool, coffee shops, and other on-board guest services.

Reliable 6 GHz Connectivity for Ship Operations

Cruise ship guests might be on holiday but the crew members are not. Those that work on cruise ships will rely on a strong, reliable connection for a range of things. 6 GHz will provide Wi-Fi connectivity to facilitate:

  • Real-time access to navigational data and weather forecasts via Wi-Fi 
  • Sensors to monitor engines, ship systems, facilities, and security applications 
  • Communication between cruise ships, port authorities, crew members, and passengers 

Over 4,000 access points are deployed throughout cruise ship hallways, ceilings and cabins to help support all of the above for both guest services and ship operations. 

Allowing the 6 GHz band on cruise ships will enable wider channels for optimizing operations and the avoidance of excessive collisions.

Why is Cisco Interested in Cruise Ship Connectivity? 

Perhaps you’re wondering why Cisco is bothering to petition this? 

Well connectivity in the cruise industry actually has the potential to be big business. The network on a cruise ship typically:

  • Has 4000 Access Points
  • Supports more than 10,000 Wi-Fi devices
  • Provides connectivity for ship operations

Cruise ships are quite literally packed with guests, and whilst they might well be trying to escape what’s back home, no one can resist sharing that sunset selfie from their cabin window with the open ocean at their back. 

Cisco has a point and we’d agree that it is important to deliver the right high density connectivity onboard sea vessels. 

In the US alone, the cruise industry is worth $3.7 billion. 

6 GHz Wi-Fi on Cruise Ships

So if you’re a regular cruise ship passenger or you’re considering becoming a cruise ship guest in the future, you might just find yourself well connected via 6 GHz whilst on your travels thanks to Cisco. 

Wi-Fi whilst out on the open sea? Yes please. 

by admin
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5G Hampshire Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 6 Wi-Fi 6E Wi-Fi Advice
What is 6GHz Wi-Fi?

Did you know that following the historic decision by USA’s FCC in April 2020 to release 1200 MHz of bandwidth in 6 GHz space for unlicensed use, UK regulators cleared unlicensed wireless usage in the 6 GHz spectrum to give 6GHz WiFi a huge boost back in July 2020. 

 

This regulatory go-ahead enables your router to broadcast over the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. What does this mean in real life terms? Simply, it means there are now a lot more open airwaves that routers can use to broadcast Wi-Fi signals. This in turn means faster, more reliable connections from the next generation of devices.

 

This is the biggest spectrum addition in over 30 years – In fact, since the FCC cleared the way for Wi-Fi back in 1989. Pretty huge right? It means the space available for routers and other devices have quadruple the amount in this new spectrum. This means a lot more bandwidth for the user and less interference for their devices. 

 

For the past 20 years we’ve had the Wi-Fi Alliance that oversees the implementation of Wi-Fi. This change in the spectrum is the most ‘monumental decision’ during their existence. You’ll be seeing this implementation as Wi-Fi 6E, with more and more enabled devices becoming available. 

 

Will Wi-Fi 6E fix my bad Wi-Fi? 

 

There’s a good chance that spectrum congestion has interfered with your ability to connect to your Wi-Fi network in the past. When there are a lot of devices all trying to connect over the same band of frequencies, some devices will drop out. Have a look at your local area for Wi-Fi networks – If there is a long list, that could be why you’re struggling with a slow connection and less than favourable reliability. This is because there are too many competing signals, which stops your device getting through. It’s hoped that gains in 6GHz performance will last, even when they are more widely used than they are now. 

 

Not only does Wi-Fi 6E offer new airwaves for routers to use, they are also more spacious airwaves that have less overlapping signals which can cause problems on some other Wi-Fi channels. 

 

The new spectrum doesn’t use any of the previous spectrum, yet offers space for up to 7 maximum-capacity Wi-Fi streams which can all be broadcast simultaneously without causing interference with each other. 

 

Here’s the geeky bit… The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, made it possible for home Wi-Fi networks to harness 500MHz of radio spectrum frequency in the new 6GHz band, which will significantly boost the speed of licence-exempt indoor home wireless networks via Wi-Fi 6/6E. 

 

What is 6GHz? 

 

Basically, Wi-Fi works by broadcasting over airwaves that are open for anyone to use. Previously, this was over two bands: 2.4GHz and 5GHz. This third band, 6GHz, is quadrupling the available space for traditional Wi-Fi. 

 

What do the numbers mean? 2.4GHz can travel further, but 6GHz travels faster. The main thing however is that the number of airwaves available on the6GHz band is quadruple what has been available before. Exciting stuff! 

 

On a personal ‘how will this affect me’ level, it means that if you live in a block of flats, and you are the first person to get a 6GHz router, then you won’t be competing with anyone for a connection. The great thing is that even as 6GHz routers become more popular, it’s likely that signals will stay faster and stronger than previously as it’s a more spacious spectrum.  

 

Will Wi-Fi 6E be faster?

 

It’s not quite as straight forward as that, but Wi-Fi 6E will sort of be faster. Theoretically, 6GHz Wi-Fi has the same top speed as 5GHz Wi-Fi. The maximum Wi-Fi 6 standard speed is 9.6 Gbps. Now, you’re not going to actuall get that speed in real life, however having access to the new airwaves could well increase your speed. 

 

The available spectrum at 5GHz means that Wi-Fi signals aren’t as large as they could be. Whereas, it’s thought that routers at 6GHz will broadcast at the current maximum allowable channel size. That in itself, means a faster connection. 

 

These new networks could see smartphone Wi-Fi connections hit 1–2 Gbps. You might be wondering how this compares to 5G – Indeed, these are the speeds expected from millimetre-wave 5G. However, that has very limited availability. 

 

Remember that your internet speeds will also always depend on / be limited by your provider. But it could still be a huge jump for connectivity.  

 

Can I buy Wi-Fi 6 devices?

 

Here in the UK we started to see Wi-Fi 6 devices creep onto the market in the last year or so, once the Wi-Fi Alliance started offering certification for Wi-Fi 6E. Deployment has been slow and steady, with more Wi-Fi 6 enables devices appearing bit by bit. We’re on course for the next generation of Wi-Fi networks.

 

Wi-Fi 6E enabled devices are most seen in smartphones and then tablets, with TV’s likely to follow suit. We use our phones for almost everything, so it’s no surprise that it’s this device that will be top of the list for Wi-Fi 6E. 

 

How do I know if a device supports Wi-Fi 6E?

 

The most widely used Wi-Fi standard on current devices is probably still Wi-Fi 6, the standard previous to Wi-Fi 6E, which you could still see on the box of a new device. This isn’t such a bad thing – It means that the device supports that Wi-Fi standard and offers efficient Wi-Fi performance. 

 

What you should probably start looking out for when buying a new device is Wi-Fi 6E – It’s this one that is extended into the 6GHz band. All devices, like smartphones, tablets, laptops and routers should have backward compatibility – Meaning they will work with any previous Wi-Fi standard to the one that’s stated on the box. This means that you can enjoy available connections even when Wi-Fi 6E isn’t available. 

 

Be aware that even if you buy a Wi-Fi 6E compatible device, you will enjoy the benefits of that when you use it with a Wi-Fi 6E router. 

 

6GHz will become an integral part of Wi-Fi 6 and future generations of Wi-Fi. This means that at some point, you will have to replace your devices with ones that are Wi-Fi 6E compatible to be able to enjoy all the benefits the extra spectrum has to offer. 

 

Due to the Wi-Fi Alliance certification programme, only efficient Wi-Fi 6 devices will be certificated. 

 

It’s worth bearing in mind that the 6GHz spectrum does have some existing licensed users. This means that particularly in outdoor spaces,  Wi-Fi will have to work around them. Outside, routers will need to use something called an “automated frequency control” system. This ensure that they don’t interfere with these existing 6GHz users. Because that means less space to broadcast, there could be degradation of overall performance in some areas.

 

Does Wi-Fi 6E have anything to do with 5G? 

 

We touched on this earlier, but no, they don’t have anything to do with each other really. It just happens that both of these networks are being spoken about a lot, simultaneously. 5G is everywhere, is it not!

 

We keep saying about Wi-Fi 6E being a new spectrum, but really it’s not new, it’s always been there, it’s just been unlicensed. Now, people can use the 6GHz spectrum without a license in their homes. 

 

This also means that other technologies could try to make use of the 6GHz band, which could in turn take up some of the space that Wi-Fi wants to use. 5G is one of the technologies that could be a rival for the space on the 6GHz band. 

 

There is a possibility that 5G could overlap on the new Wi-Fi 6E spectrum through mobile network carriers. This could in turn lead to interference issues, but it’s a bit early to say. If you’re wondering whether 5G will become dominant and replace Wi-Fi altogether, then we think probably not. There doesn’t need to be a winner or a loser when it comes to Wi-Fi 6E vs 5G – They dont necessarily have to be in competition with one another. The spacious nature of this spectrum means there should be enough room for both. 

 

6GHz Wi-Fi is certainly being revered by the tech industry, so we’re pretty hopeful that Wi-Fi will be the main beneficiary of the newly opened 6GHz spectrum. 

 

by admin
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