{"id":23273,"date":"2025-11-24T13:09:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T12:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/?p=23273"},"modified":"2025-11-24T13:09:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T12:09:18","slug":"6g-mobile-networks-will-need-up-to-three-times-todays-spectrum-to-meet-surging-data-demands-new-gsma-report-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/?p=23273","title":{"rendered":"6G mobile networks will need up to three times today\u2019s spectrum to meet surging data demands, new GSMA report shows"},"content":{"rendered":"

Near-term government decisions to avoid future spectrum \u2018bottlenecks\u2019 are needed to benefit billions of consumers and businesses in a 6G world<\/strong><\/p>\n

Next-generation 6G networks will require up to three times more mid-band spectrum than is typically available today to keep pace with surging demand for data, AI-powered services and advanced digital applications, according to new analysis published today by the GSMA, which represents the mobile ecosystem worldwide.
\nVision 2040: Spectrum for the Future of Mobile Connectivity, a comprehensive global assessment of spectrum requirements for the coming \u20186G\u2019 era, concludes that a global average of 2\u20133 GHz of mid-band spectrum per country will be required in 2035\u20132040 to meet mobile network capacity needs in the highest-demand urban areas, with higher-demand countries needing 2.5\u20134 GHz.
\nCompiled by analysts at GSMA Intelligence and the GSMA\u2019s global spectrum team, the study is designed to provide guidance to regulators and policymakers as the mobile industry prepares for wide-scale 6G deployments from 2030. This is particularly important as governments negotiate future mobile bands ahead of the crucial WRC-27 treaty conference held by the International Telecommunication Union in two years\u2019 time.
\nThe report\u2019s analysis shows that countries must act now to secure enough spectrum for 6G, or risk slower speeds, rising congestion and lost economic opportunity in the 2030s.The GSMA cautions that without early government planning, consumers could face poorer connectivity, businesses may struggle to adopt new technologies, and national digital economies could lose competitiveness in the global transition to 6G.
\nJohn Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA, said: \u201cThis study shows that the 6G era will require three times more mid-band spectrum than is available today. Satisfying these spectrum requirements will support robust and sustainable connectivity, deliver digital ambitions and help economies grow. I hope this report provides useful insights to governments as they strive to meet the connectivity needs of their citizens in the coming decade.\u201d<\/p>\n

Key findings from the report:<\/strong><\/p>\n

6G deployments from 2030; 5 billion connections by 2040<\/strong>
\n6G networks are expected to begin commercial deployment in 2030, with significant early rollouts in China, Japan, South Korea, the US, the GCC states, Europe, Vietnam and India.<\/p>\n

By 2040, the study forecasts:
\n\u2022 More than 5 billion 6G connections, around half of all mobile connections globally
\n\u2022 4G and 5G will remain essential, with around 2 billion 4G and 3 billion 5G connections still in use<\/p>\n

Global mobile traffic to reach up to 3,900 exabytes per month by 2040<\/strong>
\nBased on the study\u2019s demand scenarios, global mobile traffic is forecast to reach:
\n\u2022 1,700 EB\/month in the low-growth scenario
\n\u2022 3,900 EB\/month in the high-growth scenario<\/p>\n

This equates to 140\u2013360 GB per mobile connection per month by 2040.
\nTraffic growth will be driven by continued 5G adoption, increasing numbers of \u201cpower users\u201d, and new 6G-enabled applications including XR, integrated sensing and autonomous systems. The 10% of mobile users that generate 60\u201370% of total traffic today will increase over time, and the report notes this level of usage will become \u201cnormal behaviour\u201d by 2040.<\/p>\n

Urban areas produce 83% of traffic but only represent 5% of global land area<\/strong>
\nThe study finds that spectrum needs are determined by traffic in the densest urban zones:
\n\u2022 83% of mobile traffic occurs in urban areas
\n\u2022 Those areas account for just ~5% of geographic territory
\n\u2022 Traffic density is 9\u00d7 higher in very dense urban areas than other urban zones
\n\u2022 \u2026and almost 700\u00d7 higher than rural areas<\/p>\n

These concentrations are where mid-band capacity becomes critical.<\/p>\n

2\u20133 GHz of mid-band spectrum needed globally by 2035\u20132040<\/strong>
\nTaking into account projected traffic, expected improvements in spectral efficiency and modelling of dense urban capacity, the study concludes:
\n\u2022 Global average needs: 2\u20133 GHz of mid-band spectrum
\n\u2022 Higher-demand countries (the top 50%): 2.5\u20134 GHz
\n\u2022 Most countries today have ~1 GHz identified for mobile use
\n\u2022 Therefore, an additional 1\u20133 GHz may be required to meet 6G-era demand<\/p>\n

2 GHz needed by 2030 to avoid congestion<\/strong>
\nThe analysis warns that if only 1 GHz of mid-band spectrum is available:
\n\u2022 Cities with over 50% of the world\u2019s urban population will be capacity-constrained by 2030 (the beginning of the 6G deployment cycle) if mid-band spectrum remains at today\u2019s levels.
\nTo prevent a decline in user experience, the report stresses that 2 GHz of mid-band spectrum must be operational by 2030.<\/p>\n

Spectrum Policy Implications<\/strong>
\nThe report identifies the key candidate mid-bands under study for future mobile use:
\n\u2022 3.8\u20134.2 GHz: +200\u2013400 MHz
\n\u2022 4.4\u20134.99 GHz: +400\u2013600 MHz
\n\u2022 Upper 6 GHz (6.425\u20137.125 GHz): +700 MHz
\n\u2022 7.125\u20138.4 GHz: +600\u20131,275 MHz<\/p>\n

Above, image credited to GSMA<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Near-term government decisions to avoid future spectrum \u2018bottlenecks\u2019 are needed to benefit billions of consumers and businesses in a 6G world Next-generation 6G networks will require up to three times more mid-band spectrum than is typically available today to keep pace with surging demand for data, AI-powered services and advanced digital applications, according to new … <\/p>\n

Continue reading \u00ab6G mobile networks will need up to three times today\u2019s spectrum to meet surging data demands, new GSMA report shows\u00bb<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23273"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23273"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23275,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23273\/revisions\/23275"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}