Vodafone Group maintained pressure on regulators to let mobile operators use the upper 6GHz band for 5G and 6G services, arguing the extra capacity is essential to keep Europe connected.
In its latest pitch, Vodafone noted a network test of 6GHz spectrum on a commercial MediaTek M90 Modem fitted in a standard smartphone conducted last month moved the mobile industry closer to being able to employ the band.
Vodafone achieved peak downlink data rates of 2.5Gb/s using the 6GHz band and 5G carrier aggregation, on a smartphone operating with 200MHz bandwidth.
The configuration offered up to two-times more mobile data throughput than a 100MHz channel, with testing covering indoor and outdoor use cases. Vodafone emphasised power requirements were unchanged, a nod to concerns over increased energy usage.
European regulators face pressure from the mobile industry and Wi-Fi players over the upper 6GHz band, which each group separately covets.
Vodafone reiterated the mobile side's argument the band is essential to future networks and European digital ambitions, estimating the 200MHz channels used deliver a more than 40 per cent cost improvement over 100MHz options "due to radio efficiencies".
The operator flipped the script by arguing the lower 6GHz band was already allocated to the Wi-Fi sector "and remains largely unused".
This offers regulators the option to advance a host of digital services without allocating further spectrum for Wi-Fi, Vodafone argued.
Vodafone maintained the opinion the region faces a capacity crunch if mobile operators are denied access to the upper 6GHz band, noting network processing power and capacity hikes are key to delivering smart transport, remote healthcare and other critical future services which will rely on solid WANs.