6G Spectrum Sharing Shows Promise, But Faces Significant Technical and Economic Challenges

6G standardization efforts are underway, with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) identifying candidate spectrum bands for IMT-2030, or 6G. According to new findings from ABI Research, a global technology intelligence firm, the upper 6 GHz band and the 7–8 GHz range are expected to emerge as key areas of interest for early 6G development. Other frequencies, including low-band, high-band, and even terahertz (THz) spectrum, are also under evaluation but are expected to play a secondary role. At the same time, policymakers and industry stakeholders are examining whether the 6 GHz band can be shared with other systems using spectrum-sharing schemes.

“Although theoretically possible, advanced spectrum sharing has proven to be complex and costly, requiring centralized entities to invest significant effort, capital, and processing power to ensure that no interference occurs,” said Dimitris Mavrakis, Senior Research Director at ABI Research. “This is certainly the case for CBRS—let alone for a system as widely deployed as 6G, which may ultimately reach nationwide scale.”

The most recent World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23) concluded that the 6–8 GHz band will be the most important for 6G, with the upcoming WRC-27 continuing discussions for the next generation. ABI Research expects uplink and downlink communications to utilize different spectrum bands to ensure maximum efficiency, particularly as uplink capacity is likely to be constrained in the short term. As a result, technologies such as Supplemental Uplink (SUL) and Downlink/Uplink Decoupling (DUDe) may play a more prominent role than they do today.

Substantial work remains before 6G spectrum allocations are formally defined. The 6 GHz band is already contested in many markets, where it has been assigned to license-exempt use for Wi-Fi. China stands apart, having allocated most of the 6 GHz band to cellular use and expected to push for global 6G harmonization around this spectrum. As a result, WRC-27 is shaping up to be a decisive moment for the future 6G frequency roadmap.

These findings are from ABI Research’s 6G Spectrum Developments in early 2026 Application Analysis report. This report is part of the company’s 5G, 6G and Open RAN research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights. Based on extensive primary interviews, Application Analysis reports present in-depth analysis on key market trends and factors for a specific technology.