Frequently Asked Questions
Spectrum and 6G
Spectrum refers to the radio frequencies used to carry wireless signals. It is what makes everything from calls and text messages to video streaming and connected devices possible.
Think of spectrum like lanes on a highway. More usable spectrum gives wireless networks more room to carry traffic, helping them serve more people and devices while supporting fast, reliable connections. As demand for wireless services grows, access to sufficient spectrum becomes increasingly important to network capacity and performance.
6G is the next generation of wireless technology. It will build on 5G with greater capacity and new capabilities in AI, sensing, computing, and connectivity.
6G will build on current 5G and 5G Advanced AI-driven network performance improvements with deeper integration into how networks operate and the services they support. International standards work also envisions capabilities such as integrated sensing and communication, advanced automation, and more intelligent real-time applications.
6G is expected to support continued growth in wireless data along with new generations of connected devices and applications. That will require additional network capacity.
Mid-band spectrum is particularly valuable because it provides a strong combination of coverage and capacity, making it well suited for wide-area wireless networks. Making more mid-band spectrum available gives networks additional room to grow as 6G develops.
Physical AI refers to AI systems that can sense, understand, and act in the physical world. Examples include robots, autonomous systems, intelligent factories, and smart infrastructure.
Many advanced applications will rely on fast, reliable connections among devices, sensors, computing resources, and AI systems. 6G is expected to combine connectivity, sensing, computing, and AI more deeply, which could help these systems operate at greater scale across manufacturing, transportation, logistics, agriculture, infrastructure, and other parts of the economy.
Why More Spectrum
Federal agencies rely on spectrum for important missions. At the same time, advances in technology can create opportunities to use some frequencies more efficiently, share them, or transition systems so that spectrum can support new commercial uses while incumbent operations are protected.
Commercial wireless is one of the most productive uses to which this spectrum can be put. As the communications and logistics infrastructure behind the entire economy, freeing up underused or shareable frequencies for commercial use puts an increasingly scarce national resource to work where it can generate the greatest return for consumers and the economy.
The economic opportunity can be significant. A NERA Economic Consulting analysis estimates that each additional 100 MHz of mid-band spectrum deployed for commercial wireless use could generate $264 billion in GDP growth, approximately 1.5 million jobs, and $388 billion in consumer benefits.
Additional spectrum can also support greater network capacity, investment, and emerging technologies as countries around the world prepare for the next generation of wireless networks.
Spectrum may be invisible, but people use the networks it supports every day. Calls, navigation, video streaming, connected devices, home broadband, and many other services depend on wireless networks having sufficient capacity.
That becomes increasingly important as more people, devices, and applications use those networks. Additional spectrum can help networks keep pace with demand while creating room for emerging services and technologies.
Spectrum policy therefore reaches well beyond the wireless industry. It can affect network performance, investment, economic growth, and the technologies Americans use at home and at work.
Wireless demand does not wait for spectrum policy to catch up. As data use grows and new technologies emerge, delays in making additional spectrum available can widen the gap between network demand and available capacity.
A CTIA-commissioned Accenture analysis, The Looming Spectrum Crisis, projects a 401 MHz mid-band spectrum deficit by 2027, growing to 1,423 MHz by 2032 if additional spectrum is not made available. The analysis also projects increasing network congestion during periods of peak demand.
Fortunately, policymakers are acting. Congress and the Administration have taken steps to expand the spectrum pipeline, including advancing Upper C-Band, 2.7 GHz, and other spectrum opportunities. The focus now is execution: keeping the necessary technical, regulatory, and transition work moving so additional spectrum can reach commercial use in time to help meet growing demand.
Why 2.7 GHz
The 2.7 GHz band is mid-band spectrum currently used by federal systems, including radar operations. Congress and the Administration have directed federal agencies to study portions of this spectrum for potential commercial use while protecting incumbent missions. Congress specifically funded analysis of 2.7–2.9 GHz, and President Trump subsequently directed NTIA to begin studying 2.69–2.9 GHz for potential full-power commercial licensed use.
Its location in the mid-band range makes 2.7 GHz particularly interesting for wireless networks. Mid-band spectrum can provide both meaningful geographic coverage and substantial capacity, making it useful for wide-area commercial service.
The federal studies underway will help determine how much of the band could be made available and what technical or transition measures would be needed to protect existing operations.
2028 is intended to keep additional spectrum on a timeline that reflects growing wireless demand and the development of next-generation networks.
Getting the timing right does not mean compromising the technical work needed to protect federal operations. It means setting a clear objective and advancing technical, regulatory, and transition work with enough urgency to make spectrum available when networks need additional capacity.
A 2028 auction would still be followed by the work required to deploy the spectrum commercially. Delaying the auction also delays the investment, capacity, and innovation that can follow.
Federal operations need to be considered as part of any transition. The study and transition process is designed to identify incumbent systems, evaluate potential interference and coexistence issues, and determine what technical changes, relocation, or sharing arrangements may be appropriate.
The goal is not simply to clear spectrum. It is to identify a workable path that can make additional spectrum available for commercial use while protecting important federal missions.
Making federal spectrum available can require technical studies, new equipment, modernization, and other transition activities. Congress has already provided funding for federal spectrum analysis and broader FAA modernization, including radar replacement.
Federal law also establishes the Spectrum Relocation Fund, which can reimburse federal agencies for qualifying costs associated with relocating or sharing spectrum. Auction proceeds are an important source of funding for that framework.
The objective is to modernize federal systems, protect government missions, and make spectrum available for productive commercial use through an established transition process.
Government Action
Congress restored the FCC’s spectrum auction authority through 2034 and established a broader spectrum pipeline. It also provided $50 million for NTIA to conduct timely analysis of several bands, including 2.7–2.9 GHz, while providing substantial funding for FAA modernization.
In December 2025, President Trump issued the “Winning the 6G Race” Presidential Memorandum, directing NTIA to begin studying 2.69–2.9 GHz for potential commercial use.
The Administration has since taken additional steps to address the federal process. On September 10, 2026, OMB issued Memorandum M-26-19 amending an earlier Spectrum Relocation Fund memorandum, providing additional flexibility as federal spectrum work advances.
Together, these actions have created a clearer federal path for evaluating 2.7 GHz for commercial use while agencies continue the technical work needed to protect incumbent operations.