Ofcom green-lights UK Wi-Fi access across entire 6 GHz band

Wi-Fi industry groups are hailing the decision by UK comms regulator Ofcom to implement a spectrum sharing framework for the Upper 6 GHz communications spectrum band, making the UK the first country in Europe to establish a regulatory framework enabling Wi-Fi access across the entire band of frequencies between 5925 and 7125 MHz.

In an official statement following a January 2026 consultation, Ofcom said it had decided to implement its proposals for a prioritised spectrum sharing framework in the Upper 6 GHz band comprising a Wi-Fi priority portion in the lower 160 MHz of the band (6425–6585 MHz) and a mobile priority portion in the upper 540 MHz of the band (6585–7125 MHz).

Historically, mobile and Wi-Fi services have had to use different parts of radio spectrum to avoid interference. This has led to a period of sustained lobbying between mobile telecoms and Wi-Fi services providers to gain use of upper 6 GHz spectrum for their users.

Telcos have argued that enabling the 6 GHz band for mobile use will ensure consumers and businesses receive even faster and more reliable 5G services over the next five to 10 years, while avoiding a mobile capacity crunch caused by soaring demand for bandwidth as more devices and services – such as augmented reality headsets, health sensors and vehicles – are connected to mobile networks that require greater processing power and capacity.

For their part, Wi-Fi players said the 6GHz band in their domain is satisfying growing demand for higher-bandwidth services and more immersive experiences. Wi-Fi trade associations have noted that demand for high-performance Wi-Fi has accelerated as artificial intelligence (AI), immersive applications, industrial automation, cloud computing and next-generation enterprise networks require greater capacity, lower latency and wider channels.

Moreover, the Wi-Fi community has maintained that access to the full 6 GHz band will enable the advanced wireless technologies needed to support these increasingly demanding applications and deliver faster, more reliable connectivity across homes, businesses, schools, healthcare facilities and public venues.

As it was announcing its framework, Ofcom noted that it was making the Wi-Fi priority portion of the band available on the same licence exempt basis as the Lower 6 GHz band. This includes low-power indoor use and very low-power use. Outdoor and higher power use is also permitted, but only where devices operate under the control of the Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) system.

The regulator said it was also allowing licence exempt Wi-Fi access to the mobile priority portion – but only for those devices under the control of an AFC system. This, it believed, would enable Wi-Fi use of the full 6 GHz band while ensuring that such use can be managed as mobile deployment occurs.

In another part of the judgment, Ofcom also revealed that it was consulting on draft regulations and updated Interface Requirement (IR 2030) to implement the Wi-Fi priority decision above and extend existing Wi-Fi use from 5925-6425 MHz to also include 6425-6585 MHz. 

Kevin Robinson, president and CEO of trade body the Wi-Fi Alliance, described Ofcom’s decision as a “landmark achievement” for wireless innovation in Europe.

“By adopting a forward-looking spectrum sharing framework, the UK is maximising the value of the 6 GHz band and ensuring consumers, businesses and public services can benefit from the advanced connectivity enabled by next-generation Wi-Fi,” he said. “This decision demonstrates that regulators can support both today’s growing demand for Wi-Fi and tomorrow’s mobile services through innovative spectrum management.”