Ofcom has proposed a sharing framework for the entire upper 6 GHz band. The bottom 160 MHz (6425–6585 MHz) gets a Wi-Fi priority designation. The upper 540 MHz (6585–7125 MHz) is designated mobile-priority, but Wi-Fi can access it, provided the devices are operating under an AFC (Automated Frequency Coordination) system. Ofcom is also considering whether to authorize standard-power outdoor Wi-Fi using AFC, naming high-density use cases like stadiums as drivers.

The UK is the first country in Europe to commit to a sharing model, which matters because every country that hasn’t committed to a 6 GHz will be watching. For example, the U.S.’s decision to charge ahead with Wi-Fi use in 6 GHz has influenced other countries to consider the same path. If Ofcom commits to this path, it will join the other AFC implementers, the U.S. and Canada.

For engineers in the UK, 6E and Wi-Fi 7 deployments may not operating on borrowed time.

Ofcom took the harder path here. Building a sharing framework with AFC registration and phased rollout is more work than picking an incumbent and moving on. But spectrum policy takes years to reverse, and has rippling consequences on the technology ecosystem for generations to come.

In November 2025, the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) recommended to the European Commission that 540 MHz of the upper 6 GHz band be reserved for mobile cellular, with the remaining 160 MHz held in reserve until the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2027 (WRC-27). There is no clear path to Wi-Fi access in their statement. The Wi-Fi Alliance named the practical consequence: RSPG’s recommendation blocks Wi-Fi from the upper 6 GHz band.

Germany drove the push for mobile-only access, and the RSPG landed where the mobile industry wanted it to. Have a look at Dean Bubley’s article here if you want to delve more into the background politics. Pragmatically speaking, hospitals, universities, and other high-density venues across the EU will deploy newer Wi-Fi hardware that will never reach its full potential in terms of spectrum.

The Wi-Fi Alliance doesn’t mince words: denying access to the upper 6 GHz band "will constrain the very technology that connects most Europeans to the internet." That's not an exaggeration. Wi-Fi still carries the majority of internet traffic globally. Selling this decision as a capacity investment while giving away Wi-Fi's spectrum contradicts the data.

Most network engineers aren't reading spectrum documents. However, when a client asks why their new Wi-Fi 6E/7 system isn't performing the way their U.S. or Canadian or Brazilian branch does, the answer is probably spectrum policy. The EU pivoted towards cellular and engineers operating in these markets will have tough conversations to navigate with their stakeholders on Wi-Fi investment.

Automated Frequency Coordination has been largely an American (U.S. and Canada) topic since the FCC introduced it for standard-power outdoor 6 GHz Wi-Fi. The concept is simple: a database tracks licensed incumbents in the 6 GHz band, and your Wi-Fi device queries that database periodically to determine which channels it can safely use at a specific coordinates. It makes sharing possible without interfering with licensed incumbents.

With Ofcom's framework, AFC becomes the access mechanism for Wi-Fi in the mobile-priority portion of the upper 6 GHz band. Ofcom is working through a three-phase registration process for AFC service providers for applying, obtaining, and maintaining their registration.

This opens up some key use cases in outdoor, standard-power Wi-Fi: stadiums, open campuses, plazas, temporary event deployments. These are use cases that have been bottlenecked by channel availability historically.

I’m excited another country will pursue an AFC framework for ample spectrum for Wi-Fi clients to grow into. AFC implementations take considerable investment: hardware compatibility, AFC provider selection, registration requirements and so on. However, we’re rewarded with spectrum that will power outdoor Wi-Fi and other use cases for our exponentially growing needs.

Ofcom will continue to publish technical reports on its spectrum sharing framework into 2025. We should know more about the technical pieces of the plan by the end of the year hopefully.

The RSPG revisits the EU's 160 MHz reserve at the WRC-27, (World Radiocommunication Conference 2027). My hope is they reconsider pivoting towards cellular use, but the stakeholders with significant cellular investment will influence this decision. It’s not a done deal through by any means.

I feel Dean Bubley’s comparison to “kicking the can” down the road. Any delay in firm spectrum policy just confuses vendors, implementers, and customers trying to make the most of our digital world’s most finite resource: radio spectrum.

Stay wavy,
Eva