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EU’s Upper‑6 GHz Spectrum Showdown: Wi‑Fi 7 vs 5G/6G as Germany Backs Mobile — RSPG decision expected Nov. 12

November 9, 2025
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EU’s Upper‑6 GHz Spectrum Showdown: Wi‑Fi 7 vs 5G/6G as Germany Backs Mobile — RSPG decision expected Nov. 12
  • Fresh lobbying blitz today: Industry letters urge EU ministers not to lock Wi‑Fi out of the 6425–7125 MHz band ahead of an EU Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) meeting on November 12. [1]
  • Germany’s stance: Berlin is favoring exclusive mobile use of the upper‑6 GHz band for future 6G, drawing sharp criticism from German fiber/Wi‑Fi stakeholders. [2]
  • What the EU will decide next: The RSPG will adopt a political view for the upper‑6 GHz band; the European Commission has already mandated CEPT to develop shared‑use technical conditions, with a final deliverable due July 2027. [3]
  • Why it matters: The choice shapes Wi‑Fi 7 channel availability at home and enterprise, and mid‑band capacity for 5G/early‑6G in cities. The outcome will ripple across devices, networks, and Europe’s Digital Decade 2030 goals. [4]

What’s new on Nov. 9

A fresh burst of lobbying landed today: The Register reports that the Wi‑Fi Alliance and Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA) have delivered open letters to “EU digital ministers” warning that blocking Wi‑Fi from the upper‑6 GHz band would be “devastating” for Europe’s connectivity roadmap. They want a shared‑use framework rather than exclusive licensing to mobile networks. [5]

The DSA’s Nov. 6 open letter (PDF) underscores that the RSPG’s upcoming plenary is meant to explore “efficient use on a shared basis” between license‑exempt Wi‑Fi and licensed mobile. It argues shutting Wi‑Fi out would undercut European consumers and industry. [6]

Germany tilts the scales toward mobile — and triggers backlash

Germany’s Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport told heise online that mobile operators’ needs in upper‑6 GHz are assessed as greater, with a view to 6G, than those of Wi‑Fi — a notable shift that could influence the EU debate. [7]

The reaction was swift. Germany’s fiber association BREKO called the stance a “fatal miscalculation,” arguing it would bring no short‑term benefit and only marginal long‑term gains for urban coverage while starving Wi‑Fi of spectrum needed to deliver fiber‑grade speeds indoors. BREKO wants at least 320 MHz of upper‑6 GHz reserved for license‑exempt Wi‑Fi. [8]

What exactly is being decided?

On Nov. 12, the RSPG (the European Commission’s high‑level spectrum advisory group) will discuss its “Long‑term vision for the upper‑6 GHz band.” While not a binding law, the opinion will steer Commission policy and the technical work program. An earlier RSPG agenda set Nov. 12, 2025 for this meeting following a June session that advanced the draft opinion. [9]

Separately, the European Commission’s mandate to CEPT (Dec. 2024) tasks European spectrum experts with developing least‑restrictive, EU‑harmonized technical conditions for shared use between mobile broadband (MFCN) and WAS/RLAN (Wi‑Fi) across 6425–7125 MHz. That mandate schedules final technical deliverables for July 2027 — the timeline the Commission reiterated to The Register today. [10]

The two competing cases — and their evidence

The Wi‑Fi side (WLAN / RLAN)

  • Need for very wide channels:Wi‑Fi 7 uses 320 MHz channels; without upper‑6 GHz, Europe can’t match U.S.‑style 6 GHz channelization that underpins multi‑gigabit in‑home and enterprise networks. [11]
  • Consumer reality: Most traffic is indoors; Wi‑Fi is the last‑meter extension of fiber. A shared model keeps costs down and speeds high. (Industry letters and analyses make this case repeatedly.) [12]
  • Global precedents: The U.S. FCC opened the entire 6 GHz (5925–7125 MHz) for unlicensed use in 2020, expanding it further for very‑low‑power devices in 2023–2024. [13]

The mobile side (5G/early‑6G)

  • Urban capacity crunch: Operators say upper‑6 GHz provides mid‑band capacity to densify 5G and pave the way for early 6G, citing live tests in Europe that hit multi‑Gbps throughput using 200 MHz carriers. [14]
  • International momentum: At WRC‑23, the ITU identified 6425–7125 MHz in Region 1 (Europe/Middle East/Africa) for IMT (mobile broadband), with protections for incumbent services — a political nudge toward a mobile ecosystem. [15]

What other regulators are doing

  • United Kingdom:Ofcom proposes hybrid sharing — authorizing both low‑power indoor Wi‑Fi quickly and enabling mobile use as European harmonization matures, explicitly exploring coexistence rather than either/or. [16]
  • Australia: The regulator ACMA has extended RLAN up to 6585 MHz via its 2025 class licence while reserving 6585–7100 MHz for potential wide‑area mobile — a concrete split‑band ‘hybrid’ model now taking effect. [17]

Why the timing matters

Europe’s choice will determine whether homes, offices, stadiums and factories get two clean 320 MHz Wi‑Fi 7 channels (for low‑latency AR/VR, real‑time collaboration and LAN‑grade throughput) or whether that spectrum is steered mainly to mobile for dense urban capacity and fixed‑wireless alternatives. The RSPG’s opinion sets the policy direction for 2026–2027 CEPT work and a later Commission harmonization decision that Member States then implement nationally. [18]

What to watch next (this week)

  • Nov. 12: RSPG Plenary — look for language on shared use vs exclusive MFCN, and whether the group signals minimum Wi‑Fi channel floors (e.g., ≥320 MHz contiguous) or operator‑centric allocations. [19]
  • Post‑RSPG: Follow‑through via the RSC/CEPT pipeline toward technical conditions and equipment ecosystem milestones (chipsets and radios) that must align to any EU split‑band or dynamic‑sharing outcome. [20]

The bottom line

  • Today’s development: Fresh letters and reporting put Europe’s upper‑6 GHz battle squarely in the spotlight days before the RSPG meets. The Wi‑Fi camp says Europe risks throttling in‑home performance and productivity; the mobile camp warns of an urban capacity cliff without new mid‑band spectrum. [21]
  • Germany’s move toward exclusive mobile adds political weight to the IMT case — and galvanizes opposition from fiber and WLAN stakeholders who want at least 320 MHz for Wi‑Fi. [22]
  • EU process: Whatever the RSPG signals this week, the Commission has already locked in a shared‑use study path with CEPT through 2027 — suggesting compromise (and careful coexistence engineering) remains the most likely European end‑state. [23]

Sources & further reading

  • Europe’s upper‑6 GHz tug‑of‑war and letters to EU ministers. [24]
  • Germany favors mobile at 6 GHz; BREKO response. [25]
  • RSPG meeting date and agenda; CEPT/EC mandate and timeline to July 2027. [26]
  • UK Ofcom’s “hybrid sharing” approach. [27]
  • Vodafone test campaigns arguing for mobile use of upper‑6 GHz. [28]
  • U.S. FCC’s full‑band unlicensed framework and VLP updates. [29]
  • Australia’s class licence update enabling Wi‑Fi into 6.425–6.585 GHz; hybrid plan. [30]
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References

1. www.theregister.com, 2. www.heise.de, 3. radio-spectrum-policy-group.ec.europa.eu, 4. www.rcrwireless.com, 5. www.theregister.com, 6. dynamicspectrumalliance.org, 7. www.heise.de, 8. www.mobileeurope.co.uk, 9. radio-spectrum-policy-group.ec.europa.eu, 10. cept.org, 11. dynamicspectrumalliance.org, 12. dynamicspectrumalliance.org, 13. www.fcc.gov, 14. www.vodafone.com, 15. www.itu.int, 16. www.ofcom.org.uk, 17. www.acma.gov.au, 18. cept.org, 19. radio-spectrum-policy-group.ec.europa.eu, 20. cept.org, 21. www.theregister.com, 22. www.heise.de, 23. cept.org, 24. www.theregister.com, 25. www.heise.de, 26. radio-spectrum-policy-group.ec.europa.eu, 27. www.ofcom.org.uk, 28. www.vodafone.com, 29. www.fcc.gov, 30. www.acma.gov.au

Mateusz Brzeziński

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