6GHz delay threatens telecom investment as data demand surges

Delays in making the upper 6GHz spectrum available for full-power mobile services could increase the cost of expanding telecom networks and leave operators struggling to keep capacity ahead of rapidly rising data demand as the global industry moves from advanced 5G towards 6G.

The warning came on Monday from the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), which urged governments and regulators to provide clear spectrum roadmaps and investment certainty around the 6.425–7.125GHz band.

GSMA Director General, Vivek Badrinath, said the global mobile ecosystem was ready for large-scale deployment of the upper 6GHz band, but that regulators needed to move from international harmonisation to national allocation decisions.

“The message from the mobile ecosystem is clear: we are ready to put the upper 6 GHz spectrum to work for consumers and businesses around the world,” he said.

He said timely, pro-investment spectrum policies would give operators the confidence to expand networks, increase capacity and support national digital ambitions.

The upper 6GHz band offers 700MHz of additional mid-band capacity, which the industry considers particularly valuable for high-capacity mobile networks. The GSMA says it can support wide channels suitable for city-wide capacity, including 200MHz to 400MHz channels expected to become increasingly important for 6G.

The urgency is being driven by the rapid growth of mobile traffic.

Ericsson’s latest Mobility Report said 155 million 5G subscriptions were added globally in Q2 2026, taking the total to close to 3.3 billion. Global mobile network data traffic rose 23 per cent year-on-year during the same period and exceeded 220 exabytes per month.

Ericsson expects the first commercial 6G launches around 2030, although timing will differ by market and region. Its latest outlook also shows that 5G is becoming an increasingly dominant platform for mobile traffic and services.

For telecom operators, the spectrum debate is therefore an investment issue, not simply a technical one. Additional contiguous mid-band spectrum can deliver more capacity from existing sites and reduce the need for costly network densification as traffic rises.

The GSMA said countries representing more than 80 per cent of the world’s population now support mobile use of the upper 6GHz band following its harmonisation at the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23).

Nigeria is already confronting the capacity challenge.

Latest Nigerian Communications Commission data shows that 4G accounted for 54.31 per cent of mobile connections in June 2026, while 5G’s share increased to 4.61 per cent, from 3.94 per cent in January. At the same time, Nigeria’s networks carried about 1.53 million terabytes of data in June, illustrating the rapid growth in demand for connectivity.

The shift towards higher-speed technologies is also creating a larger market for data-intensive services. MTN Nigeria, for instance, reported H1 2026 data revenue of N1.699 trillion, up 38.4 per cent year-on-year, while network data traffic increased 25.8 per cent and average data usage per subscriber rose to 14.8GB.

Nigeria has begun preparing for additional spectrum demand. The NCC’s current regulatory framework includes the 2026–2030 Spectrum Roadmap and guidelines for the lower 6GHz band, 5.925–6.425GHz. The Commission also held stakeholder consultations in January on the roadmap and guidelines for lower 6GHz and 60GHz use.

The lower-band framework, however, is distinct from the upper 6GHz segment now being championed by the GSMA for licensed, full-power mobile services.

That distinction could become increasingly important as Nigeria expands 5G and prepares for future technologies. The upper segment, covering 6.425–7.125GHz, would provide operators with a large contiguous block suited to high-capacity deployments.

The economic implications extend beyond faster mobile internet. More network capacity supports cloud computing, digital payments, artificial intelligence applications, fixed wireless access, connected devices, industrial automation and other data-intensive businesses.

For Nigeria, however, spectrum is only one part of the infrastructure equation. Operators must also fund fibre, towers, power, backhaul and network equipment, meaning regulatory certainty can be critical to capital allocation.

The wider lesson is that spectrum policy is becoming infrastructure policy. As global data traffic continues to expand and 6G development advances, delayed decisions could force operators to spend more simply to prevent congestion.