6G is coming for the UK – but there’s a catch
Key Points
- UK 6G plans assume 200 MHz channels for each mobile network
- Ofcom gave mobile priority over only 540 MHz of the Upper 6 GHz band
- Three 200 MHz channels would need 600 MHz
- Narrower channels could mean weaker 6G and higher costs
- Wi-Fi and mobile now compete for the same spectrum
Ofcom’s Wi-Fi split may leave too little room for three UK 6G networks. The warning came from Coleago Consulting in a report for the UK Spectrum Policy Forum, which launched the study on Thursday (22 October).
The report said 6G planning currently assumes each mobile network will need a 200 MHz channel, double the 100 MHz considered optimal for 5G.
The Upper 6 GHz band offers 700 MHz in total, which in principle could give EE, VodafoneThree and Virgin Media O2 a 200 MHz channel each. Ofcom decided in July 2026 to split the band between the two technologies.
Wi-Fi gets priority over the lower 160 MHz, between 6,425 MHz and 6,585 MHz, while mobile gets priority over the upper 540 MHz, from 6,585 MHz to 7,125 MHz.
Three 200 MHz channels need 600 MHz, which is 60 MHz more than the mobile portion Ofcom set aside. Coleago said the hybrid Wi-Fi and mobile framework may stop operators from using the band optimally for 6G.
“Channels that are less than 200 MHz wide will likely be suboptimal for 6G,” the report said. The firm added that guard bands or strict indoor Wi-Fi sharing rules would make three non-overlapping 200 MHz channels impossible.
Coleago tied the issue directly to prices. It said wider channels cut the cost of each megabit delivered, and competitive markets tend to pass at least part of those savings on to consumers.
Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 8 also depend on access to the same band, which places home broadband in direct competition with mobile networks for the spectrum.
The report estimated that Wi-Fi already carries 70% to 80% of smartphone data, and that this share grows by double digits every year.
Mobile operators already hold 1,130 MHz of spectrum between 700 MHz and 3.8 GHz, most of it licensed for their exclusive use.
Demand keeps climbing, with global mobile traffic reaching 145 exabytes a month in 2025, equal to 17.5 GB per person, according to Ericsson.
Research firm Omdia forecasts that European mobile traffic will grow almost sevenfold between 2025 and 2033.
It also expects AI apps to generate more cellular traffic than everything else on European networks by around 2031 or 2032.
Coleago said 6G and 5G-Advanced will need continued access to mid-band spectrum, because their capacity gains come mainly from wider channels.
