Connectivity
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The battle for airwaves

Frequencies for mobile communications are a limited natural resource. Harmonization of frequencies across the world realizes that network operators, equipment vendors and others leverage global economies of scale such that smartphones and laptops can connect everywhere in the world to the network in the same manner.

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In 2021 the EC assigned the lower part of the 6 GHz band to Wi-Fi. As a result, we can use Wi-Fi 6e and Wi-Fi 7 in the Netherlands. The current debate is on the upper part of the 6GHz band. Some regions such as USA, Canada, Brazil, and South-Korea assigned this frequency band to indoor Wi-Fi usage and are considering outdoor usage. Other countries such as China have allocated the complete (or only the upper part of the) 6 GHz band to 5G/6G services.

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Wi-Fi requires at least 320 MHz of the upper 6 GHz band for making proper design plans in the near future. The EC is currently engaged in making policy recommendations on how to best organize the future use of this band in Europe. Some countries such as France and Germany opt for assigning the upper 6 GHz band to 5G/6G.

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Maturity

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Show the other PLAN trends
Changing dynamics in Responsible AI From large to small language models AR and smart glasses become more prominent Increasing AI-enhanced user experience Growing big tech competition for the XR stack Increased application of FAIR principles to enable digital ecosystems in Europe Growing relevance of TRUST principles for data repositories to secure data More decentralisation of data ownership enabled by SSI solutions Emergence of organisational wallets Push for transparent supply chains with digital product passports Bringing computing resources closer to the ‘edge’ Growing need for automated cloud and edge resource management Growing emphasis on neuromorphic (brain-inspired) computing Integrating photonics for accelerated information processing The battle for airwaves AI/Ops, digital twinning and the emergence of the LLM in network operations Power usage and ecological footprint From ad hoc experiments to applications Towards Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing (FTQC) Cyber-physical technology calls for resilient minds A growing urge for chip sovereignty in Europe

Drivers

Impact

educationResearch

Education & Research

  • Benefits of the usage of the 6 GHz band include the enabling of faster, lower latency, and more reliable connections used by students and researchers for e.g. digital classrooms, video conferencing, and online learning.
Operations

Operations

  • Wi-Fi professionals require at least 320 MHz of the upper 6 GHz band to make a proper Wi-Fi design in the 6 GHz band at a medium to large building of an institution. If this capacity is not available, the risks include encountering similar problems as experienced in the past with the 2.4 GHz band, resulting in unstable connections and applications that operate sub optimally. By the end of 2025 the Ministry of Economic affairs ends their plan for and integrated vision for the upper 6 GHz band. Consider persuading them to allocate at least 320 MHz of the upper 6GHz band to Wi-Fi.
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