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Mobile operator Vodafone has demonstrated how harnessing 200MHz of radio spectrum in the Upper 6GHz band, using a chipset with the MediaTek M90 Modem within a standard Smartphone, can deliver download speeds of 2.5Gbps over a 5G network using carrier aggregation to combine multiple radio frequencies on a single link. Upload speeds ranged from 50-180Mbps.
Precise details of the test, which took place across an indoor public space in Hannover (Germany), remain unclear (e.g. we’re not told anything about the distances involved either). But Vodafone’s goal in all this was to try and highlight what kind of impact it would have if European regulators decided to allocate the Upper 6GHz band (6425 to 7125MHz) to mobile operators for 5G or future 6G services, instead of handing it to Wi-Fi etc.
“The tests also showed that a 200MHz channel at 6GHz delivered up to 2 times more mobile data throughput than a 100MHz channel, in various indoor and outdoor areas. Notably, these tests used the same amount of power, demonstrating that the use of larger bandwidth channels can enhance network capacity without sacrificing energy efficiency,” said Vodafone’s study.
The Radio Spectrum Policy Group, which advises the European Commission (EC), will soon issue its final opinion on the long-term use of this band. At the same time, Ofcom in the UK has already proposed to allow low power indoor WiFi and mobile broadband (4G, 5G etc.) networks to “share” access to the upper 6GHz radio spectrum band (here), although we’re still awaiting the outcome of that consultation.
The UK regulator’s approach would initially allow the Upper 6GHz band to be harnessed for WiFi, before later introducing a sharing mechanism between mobile and Wi-Fi, once the European harmonisation policy is clear. The approach would prioritise between 160 and 400MHz of spectrum frequency to WiFi, while the remainder (at least 300MHz) would be prioritised for 5G/6G mobile.
The catch being that European harmonisation discussions may not complete until 2027 and so it will be a bit longer before UK mobile operators can take advantage of whatever Ofcom decides.