GSMA Says 6G Will Need Triple Mid-Band Spectrum, Calls for Pre‑WRC‑27 Planning

Overview

• In a new Vision 2040 report released Nov. 24, the GSMA warns countries will need a global average of 2–3 GHz of mid-band spectrum by 2035–2040, with high‑demand markets requiring 2.5–4 GHz versus today’s sub‑1 GHz allocations.
• The study recommends securing an additional 1–3 GHz this decade and highlights candidate ranges including 3.8–4.2 GHz (+200–400 MHz), 4.4–4.99 GHz (+400–600 MHz), upper 6 GHz 6.425–7.125 GHz (+700 MHz) and 7.125–8.4 GHz (+600–1,275 MHz).
• Each proposed band has incumbents, so the GSMA stresses long lead‑time planning, international harmonization and device ecosystem development, with the upper 6 GHz band already contested by the Wi‑Fi sector after the FCC opened 6 GHz for unlicensed use in 2020.
• Commercial 6G deployments are forecast to begin around 2030 with more than five billion 6G connections by 2040, and the GSMA cautions that dense urban areas—where 83% of mobile traffic occurs—face capacity constraints without new spectrum.
• Global mobile traffic is projected to reach 1,700–3,900 exabytes per month by 2040, or roughly 140–360 GB per connection, driven by rising 5G adoption, growth in high‑usage power users and new 6G applications such as XR, integrated sensing and autonomous systems.