China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or MIIT, has approved trial spectrum use in the 6GHz band for 6G-related testing. The permit was granted to the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group and is meant to support technical experiments in selected regions as China continues work on 6G research, standards development, and industrial readiness.
According to the official notice cited by the source report, the new authorization is designed to help researchers test technologies against the International Telecommunication Union’s expected 6G use cases and key performance targets. In practical terms, that means the approved spectrum can now be used for more concrete validation work instead of staying at the theory and planning stage.
The decision also lands at a time when the global fight over mid-band spectrum is getting more intense. The source notes that Europe has been debating how the upper part of the 6GHz range, from 6425 MHz to 7125 MHz, should be allocated. On one side are groups tied to Wi‑Fi interests, including the Wi‑Fi Alliance and the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance. On the other are mobile carriers that want more spectrum reserved for future cellular use.
A GSMA report released on November 20, 2025 argued that next-generation 6G networks may need as much as three times more mid-band spectrum than what’s typically available today. The report said countries could need 2 to 3 GHz of mid-band spectrum by 2035 to 2040 in order to handle mobile capacity demands in major cities, while some higher-demand markets may need 2.5 to 4 GHz. By comparison, many countries currently reserve only around 1 GHz.
GSMA warned that governments need to act early or risk slower network speeds, heavier congestion, and weaker economic competitiveness in the 2030s. The same report projects that commercial 6G trial spectrum deployments would begin around 2030, with large-scale early rollouts expected first in markets such as China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Europe, Vietnam, and India. By 2040, it forecasts more than 5 billion 6G connections worldwide, while 4G and 5G would still remain important parts of the broader mobile ecosystem.
