Several governments in the Americas have decided or proposed the unlicensed use of the 6 GHz band (or part of the band), allowing for the implementation of Wi-Fi 6E or 5G NR.

The 6 GHz band (5925–7125 MHz) is currently used in the Americas for satellite services, microwave links, backhaul systems and some other low-power and broadcasting ancillary services.

The new rules and proposals allow coexistence with the existing services, defining power limits and specific use cases for mainly three classes of radio local area networks:

• standard power (both indoor and outdoor) under the control of an automated frequency coordination system (AFC);
• low power indoor-only (LPI); and
• very low power (VLP) both indoor and outdoor.

Cullen International’s latest research shows that, among surveyed countries, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru and the United States decided to open the full 1,200 MHz of the band (5925–7125 MHz). All countries that have opened the band allow LPI, with most also allowing VLP applications. The United States and Canada are so far the only countries with a legal framework for standard power applications such as outdoor hot-spots despite no AFC systems yet being available.

Argentina, Colombia and Mexico consulted on opening part of the band for unlicensed use.

Cullen International’s new Americas Spectrum benchmark shows the current allocation of the 6 GHz band, and decisions or proposals to use the band for unlicensed use, including Wi-Fi or IMT services (5G). The benchmark also includes detail of the size of the band, the applications that can be used, and the power limits established by eleven administrations in the Americas.  

To access the full benchmark, please click on "Access the full content" or on “Request Access”, in case you are not subscribed to our Americas Spectrum Service.