- The Wi-Fi community is claiming another victory in Ofcom’s proposal for 6 GHz
- Ofcom’s approach unlocks more capacity and aligns the U.K. closer to U.S. 6 GHz rules
- The industry will be watching to see if the U.K.’s decision influences the EU
What a week for Wi-Fi. First, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said it will vote later this month on a plan to introduce a new category of geofenced variable power (GVP) devices in the 6 GHz band. Then on Friday, the U.K.-based Ofcom released its proposal for the 6 GHz band.
While the Wi-Fi camp welcomed the FCC's move, they also consider Ofcom’s stance to be a win for the Wi-Fi industry. That’s in part because it deviates from the European Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) decision to favor the mobile industry in the 6 GHz band.
“The UK/Ofcom decision out today is a big victory for the Wi-Fi industry (e.g., U.S. tech companies) since it means the U.K. is breaking from the EU to make all 1,200 megahertz (5925-7125 MHz) available for Wi-Fi in most places,” said Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Project at New America’s Open Technology Institute (OTI).
Although Wi-Fi in the upper “mobile priority” portion (6585-7125 MHz) will be subject to Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) control – and could be displaced in the future by local licenses to mobile operators – this decision by Ofcom is far closer to the U.S. allocation and rules in the 6 GHz band than it is to where the EU is heading, he said.
“Requiring database control of Wi-Fi in the upper 6 GHz band is not as pro-consumer as the FCC’s rules, which allow low-power operation indoors without that extra cost,” Calabrese said. “But it does provide 540 additional megahertz of wide channels for those Wi-Fi users that need the capacity, something that Europe is so far not doing.”
Chris Szymanski, director of Product Marketing at Broadcom, said enabling standard power in the lower 6 GHz band is a “strong step toward delivering much-needed outdoor wireless capacity" across the U.K.
“I’m also encouraged that the U.K. is considering making an additional 160 MHz available under the same rules, which would immediately enable two 320 MHz channels for low-power indoor and very-low-power portable use, creating an important pipeline for innovation,” Szymanski told Fierce.
WifiForward chimes in
The folks at WifiForward – which represents a diverse set of players that include Amazon, Comcast, Charter Communications, Google and Microsoft – were pleased as well.
“Under the first Trump Administration, the United States made a wise decision to open the entire 6 GHz band for unlicensed use, leading the world in Wi-Fi innovation and generating a projected $1.2 trillion in economic value by 2027,” WifiForward said in a statement. “We’re seeing that leadership make a difference today with Ofcom’s announcement and are encouraged that regulators globally are recognizing the need to create a spectrum pipeline for unlicensed technologies.”
It's true that the U.S. – under Trump 1.0 and then-FCC Chairman Ajit Pai – decided in 2020 to allocate the full 1,200 megahertz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use. That was in direct opposition to how CTIA – which represents big wireless carriers – wanted it to go. Today, Pai serves as president and CEO of CTIA. (Who would've known?)
Calabrese and his colleagues are hopeful that Ofcom’s decision will end up influencing the EU in ways that are more akin to how the U.S. allocated the 6 GHz.
“In fact, by leaning toward Wi-Fi over mobile, the U.K. may end up influencing the EU to adopt a similar sharing framework that makes most or all of the 1,200 megahertz available for Wi-Fi in most places,” Calabrese concluded.