What Verizon's field test examined
Speaking at the Brooklyn AI-Native 6G Summit last week, Tenorio highlighted a limitation of the upper mid-band spectrum: "7 GHz versus 3.5 GHz, not surprisingly, has some challenges in penetrating buildings." The lower 3.5 GHz band reaches farther and passes through houses and trees more effectively.
The most widely tested frequency for commercial 6G so far, 7 GHz sits between the mid-band spectrum used for 5G and higher-frequency mmWave bands. That position offers a combination of broad coverage and substantial capacity, making it an early favorite rather than a settled choice.
Verizon and Ericsson made the first 6G field test call in October using pre-commercial equipment. Their purpose was to examine how upper mid-band signals travel and how well they reach indoors.
According to SDxCentral, the test used a single channel carrying 400 megahertz of 7 GHz spectrum. A base station near an operating Verizon site in Concord, California, transmitted to user equipment inside a mobile enclosure measuring 12 by 8 feet. Wall and window materials of different types and thicknesses lined the enclosure, allowing the companies to compare signal penetration across construction conditions.
Coverage improvements may not close the gap
Tenorio said the difficulties could be addressed, but would require more work. "It doesn't mean that we can't sort it out," he told Light Reading. He pointed to denser antennas, more active antenna elements, greater output power and higher effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) limits.
Even with those changes, Tenorio said 7 GHz would still probably struggle to match the coverage footprint of C-band, which generally refers to frequencies from 3.7 GHz to 4.2 GHz. Whether the field test will prove a significant setback for US efforts to establish 7 GHz as a primary 6G band remains unclear.
His concerns extend beyond 7 GHz. Assessing the US spectrum pipeline, he described 2.7 GHz as "narrow," 4 GHz as "uncertain" and 7 GHz as "challenged." None, he said, offers a clear path to the 400 MHz-wide channels envisioned in 6G standards.
Federal study will address availability and relocation costs
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) plans to release its yearlong 7 GHz study at a December 10 event. According to Broadband Breakfast, the review concerns 275 megahertz of government spectrum from 7.125 to 7.4 GHz, a range currently used for defense purposes.
The report is expected to address how much spectrum could be cleared for commercial services, when it might become available and the cost of moving government users. NTIA Administrator Arielle Rot has expressed hope that the FCC will move quickly afterward to establish auction rules.
The study process began under the Biden administration. In December 2025, the White House directed NTIA to identify the band for 6G use by the end of 2026.
The US is also advocating for 7 GHz at the International Telecommunication Union's World Radiocommunication Conference next year. Light Reading reported that NTIA's administrator presented the band as part of an effort to expand mid-band spectrum for 6G and to "counter efforts by our adversaries to steer the world towards the 6 GHz band."
Other spectrum options remain under review
NTIA's work also covers three other potential 6G bands: 1.6 GHz, spanning 1675-1695 MHz; 2.7 GHz, spanning 2700-2900 MHz; and 4 GHz, spanning 4400-4940 MHz. The agency hopes to complete the separate 1675-1695 MHz study "in the coming months," according to Broadband Breakfast. Its reviews of 2.7 GHz and 4 GHz will assess their suitability for private-sector use.
Verizon is pursuing work outside the 7 GHz field trial as well. The FCC granted it a temporary license to test 6G use cases in 4 GHz spectrum in and around its Los Angeles lab. The carrier also recently added nine members to its 6G Innovation Forum.
