{"id":363379,"date":"2025-11-24T22:33:43","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T17:03:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/?p=363379"},"modified":"2025-11-24T22:33:43","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T17:03:43","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:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/6g-mobile-networks-will-need-up-to-three-times-todays-spectrum-to-meet-surging-data-demands-new-gsma-report-shows\/","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":"<p><strong><em>Near-term government decisions to avoid\u00a0future\u00a0spectrum \u2018bottlenecks\u2019\u00a0are needed to\u00a0benefit\u00a0billions of consumers and businesses in a 6G world.<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>20<\/strong><strong><sup>th<\/sup><\/strong><strong>\u00a0November\u00a02025,\u00a0London:\u00a0<\/strong>Next-generation 6G networks will require\u00a0<strong>up to three times more mid-band spectrum than is typically available today<\/strong>\u00a0to keep pace with surging demand for data, AI-powered services and advanced digital applications, according to new analysis published today by the\u00a0<strong>GSMA<\/strong>, which\u00a0represents\u00a0the\u00a0mobile\u00a0ecosystem\u00a0worldwide.<\/p>\n<p><em>Vision 2040: Spectrum for the Future of Mobile Connectivity<\/em>, a comprehensive global assessment of spectrum requirements for\u00a0the\u00a0coming\u00a0\u20186G\u2019\u00a0era,\u00a0concludes that\u00a0<strong>a\u00a0global\u00a0average of 2\u20133 GHz of mid-band spectrum<\/strong>\u00a0per country\u00a0will be required in\u00a0<strong>2035\u20132040<\/strong>\u00a0to meet\u00a0mobile network\u00a0capacity needs in the highest-demand urban areas, with\u00a0<strong>higher-demand countries needing 2.5\u20134 GHz<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Compiled by analysts at GSMA Intelligence and the GSMA\u2019s\u00a0global\u00a0spectrum team, the study\u00a0is designed to\u00a0provide guidance to\u00a0regulators and policymakers as the mobile industry prepares for\u00a0wide-scale\u00a06G deployments from\u00a0<strong>2030.\u00a0<\/strong>This is particularly important\u00a0as governments negotiate future mobile bands ahead of the crucial\u00a0<strong>WRC-27\u00a0<\/strong>treaty conference held by the<strong>\u00a0International Telecommunication Union\u00a0<\/strong>in two years\u2019 time.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0report\u2019s\u00a0analysis shows\u00a0that\u00a0<strong>countries must act now to secure enough spectrum for 6G<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA<\/strong>, said:\u00a0<em>\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\u00a0ambitions\u00a0and help economies grow. I hope this report\u00a0provides\u00a0useful insights to governments as they strive to meet the connectivity needs of their citizens in the coming decade.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Key findings from the report:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>6G deployments from 2030; 5 billion connections by 2040<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>6G networks are expected to begin commercial deployment in\u00a0<strong>2030<\/strong>, with significant early rollouts in China, Japan, South Korea, the US, the GCC states, Europe,\u00a0Vietnam\u00a0and India.<br \/>\nBy\u00a0<strong>2040<\/strong>, the study forecasts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>More than 5 billion 6G connections<\/strong>, around half of all mobile connections globally<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>4G and 5G will remain essential, with\u00a0around<strong>\u00a02 billion 4G<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>3 billion 5G connections<\/strong>\u00a0still in use<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Global mobile traffic to reach up to 3,900\u00a0exabytes per\u00a0month by 2040<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Based on the study\u2019s demand scenarios, global mobile traffic is forecast to reach:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>1,700 EB\/month<\/strong>\u00a0in the low-growth scenario<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>3,900 EB\/month<\/strong>\u00a0in the high-growth scenario<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This equates to\u00a0<strong>140\u2013360 GB per mobile connection per month<\/strong>\u00a0by 2040.<\/p>\n<p>Traffic 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.\u00a0The\u00a0<strong>10% of mobile users\u00a0that\u00a0generate 60\u201370% of total traffic\u00a0today will increase over time<\/strong>, and the report notes this level of usage will become \u201cnormal behaviour\u201d by 2040.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Urban areas produce 83% of traffic but only\u00a0represent\u00a05% of\u00a0global\u00a0land area<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The study finds that spectrum needs are\u00a0determined\u00a0by traffic in the densest urban zones:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>83% of mobile traffic<\/strong>\u00a0occurs in urban areas<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Those areas account for\u00a0<strong>just ~5%<\/strong>\u00a0of geographic territory<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Traffic density is\u00a0<strong>9\u00d7 higher in very dense urban areas<\/strong>\u00a0than other urban zones<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\u2026and\u00a0<strong>almost 700\u00d7 higher<\/strong>\u00a0than rural areas<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These concentrations are where mid-band capacity becomes critical.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2\u20133 GHz of mid-band spectrum needed globally by 2035\u20132040<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Taking into account\u00a0projected traffic, expected improvements in spectral efficiency and modelling of dense urban capacity, the study concludes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Global average needs:<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>2\u20133 GHz<\/strong>\u00a0of mid-band spectrum<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Higher-demand countries\u00a0(the top 50%):<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>2.5\u20134 GHz<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Most countries today have\u00a0<strong>~1 GHz<\/strong>\u00a0identified\u00a0for mobile use<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Therefore,\u00a0<strong>an\u00a0additional\u00a01\u20133 GHz<\/strong>\u00a0may be\u00a0required to meet 6G-era demand<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>2 GHz needed by 2030 to avoid congestion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The analysis warns that if only 1 GHz of mid-band spectrum is available:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Cities with over 50% of the world\u2019s urban population will be capacity-constrained by 2030 (<\/strong>the beginning of the 6G deployment cycle) if mid-band spectrum\u00a0remains\u00a0at today\u2019s levels.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To prevent a decline in user experience, the report stresses that\u00a0<strong>2 GHz of mid-band spectrum must be operational by 2030<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Spectrum Policy Implications<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The report\u00a0identifies\u00a0the key candidate mid-bands under study for future mobile use:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>3.8\u20134.2 GHz:<\/strong>\u00a0+200\u2013400 MHz<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>4.4\u20134.99 GHz:<\/strong>\u00a0+400\u2013600 MHz<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Upper 6 GHz (6.425\u20137.125 GHz):<\/strong>\u00a0+700 MHz<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>7.125\u20138.4 GHz:<\/strong>\u00a0+600\u20131,275 MHz<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The GSMA notes that each band has existing incumbents, meaning\u00a0<strong>long-lead-time planning is essential<\/strong>\u00a0for\u00a0analysing spectrum use and release, device ecosystem\u00a0development\u00a0and global harmonisation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Near-term government decisions to avoid\u00a0future\u00a0spectrum \u2018bottlenecks\u2019\u00a0are needed to\u00a0benefit\u00a0billions of consumers and businesses in a 6G world.\u00a0 20th\u00a0November\u00a02025,\u00a0London:\u00a0Next-generation 6G networks will require\u00a0up to three times more mid-band spectrum than is typically available today\u00a0to keep pace with surging demand for data, AI-powered services and advanced digital applications, according to new analysis published today by the\u00a0GSMA, which\u00a0represents\u00a0the\u00a0mobile\u00a0ecosystem\u00a0worldwide. Vision [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":363380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-363379","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gadgets-and-apps"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=363379"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":363381,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363379\/revisions\/363381"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/363380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=363379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=363379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=363379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}