Industry trade group GSMA has called for more spectrum to be made available to support upcoming 6G deployments, warning that up to three-times more mid-band spectrum is needed just to keep pace with surging demand.

In a newly published report, the mobile industry trade association suggested a global average of between two gigahertz and three gigahertz of mid-band spectrum per country will be required by 2040 just to meet mobile network capacity needs. Meanwhile, higher-demand countries may need as much as four gigahertz.

According to the GSMA, 6G networks are expected to begin commercial deployment in 2030, with more than five billion 6G connections expected by 2040 – that’s around half of all mobile connections globally.

The report warns that if only one gigahertz of mid-band spectrum is made available by the end of this decade, cities with more than 50% of the world’s urban population will be capacity constrained.

“This study shows that the 6G era will require three times more mid-band spectrum than is available today,” GSMA Chief Regulatory Officer John Giusti wrote. “Satisfying these spectrum requirements will support robust and sustainable connectivity, deliver digital ambitions, and help economies grow.”

While no 6G specifications currently exist, vendors have been gearing up for the potential next generation of connectivity.

Early efforts have seen SoftBank team up with Samsung to develop AI-augmented radio access networks (AI-RAN) for 6G. T-Mobile US has been testing “experimental prototype wireless equipment” 6G equipment from Nokia. Even Nvidia is getting in on the act, unveiling a 6G-native accelerated computing platform, ARC-Pro, to enable operators to shift from 5G-Advanced to 6G.

The GSMA suggests that early 6G rollouts are to be expected in markets including China, the U.S., Europe, and India.

But while the technology develops steadily, the group wants long-lead-time planning in order to better analyse spectrum use and release, device ecosystem development, and global harmonization.

Some early efforts to address this have emerged.

Verizon formed the 6G Innovation Forum alongside big-name network vendors in a bid to drive innovation around 6G. And to learn from the mistakes with 5G, the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN) was formed in June in a bid to harmonize next-generation standards and better prepare for the next generation of mobile technology.

But the GSMA wants early government planning too, arguing that without it, consumers and businesses could face slower speeds and “lose competitiveness in the global transition to 6G.”

“6G will not arrive through a single breakthrough. Instead, it will provide capacity for new applications while supporting the development of services emerging today,” GSMA’s Director General Vivek Badrinath wrote in the report. “New concepts such as embedding AI or augmented reality into our everyday lives will depend on sustainable and harmonized spectrum solutions. Our task is to ensure that these advances remain accessible and affordable. Careful planning is essential to ensure that 6G is not just available everywhere, but available to everyone.”