Will 6G on T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T force them to raise your 5G bill?

2030 is approaching faster than we realize and with it comes the next big chapter in wireless service: 6G. We, the end users, are always hyped about the new (higher) speeds, the lower latency promises and the connectivity possibilities that 6G would unlock for us. But there is another question sitting somewhere at the back of our minds: "Well, how expensive would that be?"

If AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile had to build entirely new networks for 6G, the answer could be uncomfortable. The billions required for new spectrum, radios and other infrastructure would have to be recovered somehow and you know that you're part of that "somehow".

OK, carriers would absorb some of the cost, but customers would ultimately feel it through higher prices.

Fortunately, 6G doesn't necessarily have to mean starting from scratch.

6G could reuse more of today's 5G network

One of the technologies that are being discussed for 6G is called multi-RAT spectrum sharing, or MRSS. The basic idea behind it is simple; instead of dedicating a piece of spectrum exclusively to either 5G or 6G, an operator could allow the two technologies to share it.

That matters because the spectrum being considered for 6G isn't equally useful everywhere. Higher-frequency signals can offer enormous capacity and impressive speeds, but they generally don't travel as far or penetrate obstacles as effectively as lower-frequency signals. Hence, this makes higher-frequency signals useful in dense areas like big cities, but far less attractive for nationwide coverage.

For carriers like T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T, this would be a problem. If 6G relies heavily on new, higher-frequency spectrum, they would need to deploy a huge amount of additional equipment to make it useful outside metropolitan areas.

The MRSS way

Rather than ripping out existing 5G equipment and replacing it with an entirely new 6G network, carriers could potentially reuse some of the radios and spectrum they already have. 5G could coexist with 6G and I'm sure that'll be the way, at least in the first few years.

The Big 3 have already spent enormous amounts of money building their 5G networks. T-Mobile has invested heavily in its 2.5GHz mid-band network, while Verizon has poured billions into its C-band deployment.

No collateral damage for me, thank you

The wireless industry already tried something similar with dynamic spectrum sharing, or DSS, which allowed 4G and 5G to use the same spectrum. The technology developed a poor reputation because sharing resources could come with performance compromises.

That is precisely what operators don't want to repeat with 6G. If your 5G connection becomes slower or less reliable because your carrier is making room for 6G, the upgrade isn't much of an upgrade for you and me.

Making it work together

Another challenge is also whether equipment from different vendors can work together efficiently. Still, the direction is interesting. Ideally, the future of 6G will make today's network work alongside tomorrow's technology.

And if AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile can do that successfully, 6G might be a lot less expensive, and that's always good news.

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