6G will need way more spectrum than what’s currently free
A new report spells it out clearly: next-gen 6G networks are going to lean heavily on mid-band spectrum, and the amount needed is huge. This chunk of wireless real estate is the “just right” zone – low-band travels far but is slow, high-band is lightning fast but barely gets through a wall, and mid-band lands perfectly in the middle with fast speeds and solid coverage.The research looked at the global picture and found that countries will need 2–3 GHz of mid-band spectrum on average (some will even need 2.5–4 GHz) to meet demand in the busiest cities between 2035 and 2040. Right now, most countries only have a small portion of that available for 5G.
To put this in simple terms: if governments don’t clear out enough mid-band by the time 6G arrives, the network will “work,” but your phone will constantly hit slow pockets – exactly the kind of buffering and congestion people hate when they’re downtown or at big events.
This 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 ambitions and help economies grow. I hope this report provides useful insights to governments as they strive to meet the connectivity needs of their citizens in the coming decade.
– John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA, November 2025
- Wild speeds: Up to 1 Tbps. That’s roughly 100× faster than 5G.
- Tiny delays: Latency under 1 microsecond – 5G sits around 1 ms.
- Huge device capacity: Up to 10 million connected devices per square kilometer.
- Better global reach: Stronger satellite integration to fill rural gaps.
Commercial deployments are expected around 2030, with early adopters including the US, Europe, Japan, China, South Korea, the GCC region, Vietnam, and India. By 2040, the forecast hits 5+ billion 6G connections, while billions of 4G and 5G users will still remain.Traffic demand will explode, too:
- 1,700 EB/month in a low-growth scenario
- 3,900 EB/month in a high-growth scenario
That’s around 140–360 GB per mobile line every month by 2040. And the biggest spike? Power users – the same 10% who currently generate 60–70% of all traffic. By 2040, this level of usage becomes “normal behavior.”Urban areas are already pushing limits: they create 83% of global traffic while covering only 5% of land, with dense downtown zones using almost 700× more data than rural areas. That’s exactly where mid-band capacity becomes mission-critical.
What this actually means for your future phone experience
6G is coming in the next few years. | AI-generated image
This entire report is basically a sneak peek into what using your phone will feel like in the 2030s. But none of the cool 6G stuff – the speeds, the ultra-low lag, the smart devices everywhere – will work properly without enough mid-band spectrum.
If countries don’t free it up, 6G might technically “launch,” but you’d still deal with unreliable connections, slower speeds, and the exact same city bottlenecks people complain about today with 5G.
And for major US networks like T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T, this is a pretty loud warning. The study says they’ll need 2–3× more mid-band than they have today. Without it, they simply won’t be able to handle the traffic spike expected between 2035 and 2040.
A change in the landscape
Looking ahead, I believe the carriers that start preparing early – like T-Mobile – will be the ones that can deliver a true 6G experience when the time comes. That includes lobbying for spectrum, planning long-term network strategies, and figuring out how to rearrange the spectrum they already control.Whoever gets ahead now stands to lead the next decade of wireless. And that ultimately affects you, too. At the end of the day, picking a carrier comes down to reliable coverage where you actually live, work, and spend time. The ones that plan for 6G early are the ones most likely to offer that reliability.
