6 GHz: 5G or Wi-Fi 6

Recently, Mexico’s Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) made the decision to allocate the lower portion of the 6 GHz band—specifically the 5925–6425 MHz range, totaling 500 MHz of bandwidth—for Wi-Fi 6 use. This makes the IFT the first regulator worldwide to take such a decision, further intensifying the global debate over the future allocation of this band—particularly as countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and others in the region have previously opted to assign the entire 1200 MHz band to unlicensed technologies.

Mexico’s decision preserves the possibility of allocating the remaining 700 MHz of the 6 GHz band to IMT (International Mobile Telecommunications) services—a matter certain to be discussed at the World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23). Chile has also indicated it is evaluating whether to reconsider its full allocation of the band to Wi-Fi 6 or other unlicensed technologies, suggesting that the possibility of sharing this spectrum between mobile (5G) and Wi-Fi 6 services remains open.

At Artifex Consulting LLC, we have long advocated for shared use of the 6 GHz band between Wi-Fi 6 and 5G technologies. In fact, we first formally raised this position during meetings held in 2022 with Costa Rica’s Ministry of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT) and its telecommunications regulator, SUTEL, as part of the development of Costa Rica’s National Development Plan. At those meetings, we proposed revisiting the exclusive allocation of the entire 1200 MHz to Wi-Fi 6, based on our assessment that such an allocation was excessive given the characteristics of the Costa Rican market.

Costa Rica has a population of approximately 5.1 million people and 1.8 million households, according to the latest national census. According to the Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Commerce of Costa Rica: “In absolute terms, as of 2019, the Costa Rican business sector comprised 137,378 enterprises, of which 133,845 were SMEs.” These figures provide a clear indication of the actual demand for bandwidth in the market—and suggest that allocating the full 1200 MHz exclusively to unlicensed Wi-Fi 6 would vastly exceed practical needs.

This insight further leads us to conclude that there will be no requirement for such an expansive bandwidth allocation for unlicensed technologies, and that technical feasibility exists to share this spectrum with mobile services. We presented these same arguments to Mexico’s 5G Committee, led by the IFT, and believe they are equally applicable across Latin America.

Another critical consideration is that Wi-Fi 6 operates across three bands: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz, with channel bandwidths of 20, 40, 80, and 160 MHz. Even within the 5 GHz band, two 160 MHz channels are already available. By allocating 500 MHz to Wi-Fi 6 in the 6 GHz band, Mexico would provide three 160 MHz channels in this band, plus two additional 160 MHz channels in the 5 GHz band—an amount of bandwidth more than sufficient to serve both urban and rural areas, whether for access networks or backhaul transport. Specifically, three 160 MHz channels in the 6 GHz band could support access networks, while two 160 MHz channels in the 5 GHz band could handle backhaul requirements.

Moreover, it is worth noting that 5G deployments in millimeter wave bands have failed to generate significant interest among mobile operators even in early-adopter markets like South Korea. Several license holders in South Korea were unable to deploy services and ultimately returned their allocated spectrum. A similar pattern occurred in Brazil, where some auction winners relinquished their licenses after the process concluded. Most recently, in Montenegro’s recent spectrum auction, millimeter wave bands attracted no bids and remained unassigned.

This clearly indicates that, for the time being, 5G deployments in Latin America will focus primarily on mid-band frequencies between approximately 1 GHz and 12 GHz. It is also timely to consider the current economic conditions across the region, which have been significantly impacted by the pandemic that emerged in 2020. These conditions are likely to further incentivize mobile operators to prioritize network deployment in these mid-band frequencies.

Although the 6 GHz band is currently used by satellite services (C-band) and fixed point-to-point links, it is important to note that both services are experiencing declining new deployments and user growth due to increasing bandwidth demands being met by alternative frequency bands. The migration of existing users of these services is technically feasible, given the availability of alternative spectrum—for example, Ka-band for satellite services and frequencies above 12 GHz for microwave links, both of which are accessible in regional countries.

Furthermore, as mentioned at the outset, the portion of the 6 GHz band allocated to Wi-Fi 6 corresponds primarily to the lower segment of the band—which offers superior propagation characteristics compared to the upper segment, which could be more suitable for mobile services. This distinction is critical and appears to have been overlooked by regulators in Latin America: the upper portion of the 6 GHz band (above 6425 MHz) directly overlaps with the 7 GHz band, which is a strong candidate for future 6G allocation.

This situation draws a direct analogy to the 600 MHz and 700 MHz bands. Many countries—including Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Chile—allocated the 700 MHz band to mobile services for 4G deployment. However, due to delays in freeing up the 700 MHz band in countries such as Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic—primarily caused by slow migration of terrestrial television services—this band is now being reconsidered for 5G deployment. If a similar delay occurs in the 6 GHz band, it is plausible that the upper portion may ultimately be reserved for 6G services beyond 2030—the projected timeframe for the next generation of mobile technology.

At Artifex Consulting LLC, we have conducted a detailed technical analysis of the advantages of sharing available bandwidth between mobile and unlicensed technologies. If you would like to learn more about our study, we invite you to contact us for further information. Please reach out via email at: contact@artifexconsulting-us.net