Ofcom moves to let mobile and Wi-Fi share 6GHz airwaves

Ofcom has opened a consultation on plans to allow mobile networks and Wi-Fi services to share parts of the 6 GHz radio spectrum.

The proposals aim to increase wireless capacity in busy areas by easing congestion across both mobile networks and next-generation Wi-Fi, as demand for data continues to grow.

However, the move is still at a consultation stage, with technical conditions, safeguards, and the balance between mobile and Wi-Fi use yet to be finalised.

Source: Ofcom

What Ofcom is proposing

Ofcom is consulting on plans to let mobile networks and Wi-Fi operate in parts of the same 6 GHz radio spectrum, rather than assigning the airwaves exclusively to one use.

Under the proposals, the 6 GHz band would not be treated as a single block. Different parts of the spectrum would be managed in different ways, with mobile and Wi-Fi access governed by technical rules intended to allow both services to operate without causing harmful interference.

The aim is to make more efficient use of a limited resource, allowing different wireless technologies to share spectrum where possible instead of being kept separate by default.

This approach reflects how some spectrum is already managed. Bands such as 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz are designated for unlicensed use, meaning they are shared by many different technologies - including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other short-range devices - with interference controlled through technical rules rather than exclusive access.

By contrast, other services, including broadcasting and mobile networks, have typically operated in dedicated spectrum.

The consultation is aimed at industry stakeholders including mobile network operators, equipment manufacturers, and technology providers, and represents an early stage in the regulatory process rather than a final decision.

What it could mean in practice

The 6 GHz band is seen as increasingly important for handling rising wireless demand, particularly in places where existing spectrum is already heavily used.

For mobile networks, access to additional spectrum could help support capacity in busy locations such as city centres, transport hubs, and large venues, where large numbers of people are using data at the same time.

For Wi-Fi, the band underpins newer standards designed to deliver higher speeds and more consistent performance in environments with many connected devices, such as blocks of flats, offices, and public spaces.

Improved indoor mobile coverage is also changing how people connect. As mobile networks become faster and more reliable inside buildings, more users rely on mobile data alongside - or instead of - a fixed broadband line, particularly where flexibility, short tenancies, or fewer contracts are appealing.

In practice, this means mobile and Wi-Fi are increasingly used in the same spaces, often at the same time. How smoothly that overlap works will depend on how the final rules are implemented and how effectively the technical safeguards perform once services are deployed.

It's worth saying that no immediate changes are expected for consumers while the consultation is ongoing, and any real-world impact would depend on future decisions and rollout timelines.

Context and reality check

Debate over access to the 6 GHz band is not new. Internationally, mobile operators and Wi-Fi interests have long differed over whether mid-band spectrum should be reserved for exclusive use or shared more flexibly between services.

Regulators, including Ofcom, are increasingly exploring sharing models as a way to stretch finite airwaves further, rather than allocating spectrum to a single technology indefinitely. The pressure comes from rising data use, more connected devices, and limited options for opening up entirely new bands.

At the same time, in-home Wi-Fi reliability has improved over recent years. The move from older Wi-Fi generations to Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 - alongside wider use of the 5 GHz band and, more recently, Wi-Fi 6E - has reduced congestion indoors by improving channel management and handling interference more efficiently.

That progress has made performance problems easier to resolve, with clearer remedies such as upgrading routers or adding mesh coverage, rather than prolonged uncertainty over whether the broadband connection itself is at fault.

Improving indoor mobile coverage is also changing how people connect. As mobile networks become faster and more reliable inside buildings, more users rely on mobile data alongside - or instead of - a fixed broadband line, particularly in flats and high-density housing where flexibility or fewer contracts are appealing. Some providers already market home broadband services delivered entirely over mobile networks.

This means mobile and Wi-Fi are increasingly used in the same physical spaces, often at the same time. Spectrum sharing adds another layer to that overlap. While safeguards are intended to prevent harmful interference, such systems rely on complex coordination and accurate technical controls.

If issues do arise, they are more likely to surface as localised drops, inconsistent performance, or intermittent reliability rather than clear service outages. These kinds of problems can be difficult for consumers to diagnose and harder for providers to resolve remotely, often falling into a grey area between network performance and in-home experience.

There is historical precedent for this kind of complexity. During the rollout of 4G mobile services in the early 2010s, the reuse of spectrum adjacent to digital terrestrial TV frequencies led regulators to warn of potential interference for some households, prompting mitigation measures such as filters and support schemes. While the technologies and bands are different, the episode illustrates how changes to spectrum use can have uneven and sometimes hard-to-attribute effects for consumers.

Whether spectrum sharing in the 6 GHz band delivers consistent real-world benefits will depend less on the headline policy decision and more on how reliably those technical safeguards perform once deployed at scale.