Upper 6 GHz for 5G-Advanced and 6G in RCC Countries
This paper was presented at the 30th meeting of the RCC Commission on Radio Spectrum and Satellite Orbits in the panel session “Radiofrequency Spectrum: Needs, Challenges and Opportunities for Timely Implementation of New Technologies”. The presentation was held on the 17th of August 2026 in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyz Republic.
The upper 6 GHz band (6425–7125 MHz) is emerging as a critical spectrum resource for the future development of 5G-Advanced and 6G. Mobile data traffic continues to grow rapidly, driven by increasing consumption per user, more demanding applications and the emergence of AI-generated traffic. This creates a particular capacity challenge in densely populated urban areas. Many cities across RCC and neighbouring countries already have population densities exceeding 6,000 people per km², including Yerevan, Baku, Minsk, Astana, Moscow and Tashkent. Previous Coleago analysis of mid-band spectrum requirements concluded that countries may require around 2 GHz of mid-band spectrum in the 2025–2030 timeframe, while the amount currently assigned to individual mobile operators in a typical CIS market is considerably lower.
The presentation argues that additional spectrum is essential not simply to accommodate traffic growth, but also to deliver the performance expected from 5G Standalone, 5G-Advanced and ultimately 6G. Higher-performance services require networks to operate with greater effective capacity, while improvements in spectral efficiency alone cannot keep pace indefinitely with traffic growth.
Against this background, Coleago makes the case for allocating 200 MHz of contiguous upper 6 GHz spectrum per mobile operator. 3GPP has already specified band n104 (6425–7125 MHz) for licensed 5G services and its work towards IMT-2030 assumes channel bandwidths of at least 200 MHz. Wider channels offer significant economic advantages: Coleago estimates that the cost per unit of capacity for an operator deploying 200 MHz at 6 GHz could be less than half that of a 100 MHz deployment at 3.5 GHz. This is particularly important in RCC markets where affordability remains a key consideration for consumers and businesses.
The ability to deploy the band at full power is equally important. At appropriate EIRP levels, upper 6 GHz can provide a cell range comparable with 3.5 GHz, allowing operators to reuse their existing macro site grids rather than undertake costly network densification. Full-power deployment also improves the ability to extend 5G-Advanced and future 6G performance indoors. Lower power levels would reduce coverage, diminish the economic benefits of the band and require substantially more sites.
The technology ecosystem is also developing rapidly. 3GPP standardisation for licensed 5G use of the band has been completed, and trials by mobile operators and equipment vendors have demonstrated macro-grid deployment, indoor penetration and operation with 200 MHz channels. The presentation notes that the first commercial upper 6 GHz active antenna unit is expected to become available in September 2026.
The presentation also considers alternative uses of the band. Coleago argues that coexistence between IMT and Wi-Fi within the same upper 6 GHz spectrum is not a realistic long-term solution. Approaches involving low-power outdoor IMT and indoor Wi-Fi would substantially reduce the usefulness of the band, while proposed detect-and-vacate mechanisms present significant practical and technical limitations. Similarly, allocating upper 6 GHz temporarily to other high-power licensed technologies before its use for IMT risks creating stranded investment and inefficient spectrum use.
For RCC countries, the issue extends beyond mobile network capacity. Mobile connectivity remains the primary means of internet access across much of Central Asia and the South Caucasus, while 5G infrastructure can also support fixed wireless access using the same network. Making sufficient mid-band spectrum available therefore has a wider role to play in achieving national digital development objectives and expanding affordable high-performance connectivity.
Coleago concludes that RCC administrations should identify the entire 6425–7125 MHz band for IMT in their national frequency allocation tables, make it available through service-neutral spectrum licences, permit full-power operation and allocate contiguous blocks of 200 MHz per operator. The presentation also recommends avoiding interim Wi-Fi use that could complicate subsequent IMT deployment and working towards licensing the upper 6 GHz band by 2030.
The presentation provides regulators, policymakers and mobile operators with an economic and technical perspective on why decisions taken now over the upper 6 GHz band will be important to the affordability, performance and investment economics of 5G-Advanced and 6G networks across RCC countries.
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