Trump Seeks NTIA Reallocation of 7.125-7.4 GHz Band for Commercial 6G Use
President Donald Trump issued a memorandum Friday night directing NTIA to “immediately begin the process of identifying” the 7.125-7.4 GHz band “for reallocation for full-power commercial licensed use” and study how to reallocate federal systems on the airwaves “to other frequencies,” including the 7.4-8.4 GHz band. Trump framed the reallocation as needed to ensure U.S. leadership in “6G development.” The move came a day after Trump signed off on the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which Congress passed after leaders reached a deal to omit Senate-side language that would have given the defense secretary and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman authority to essentially veto commercial use of the 3.1-3.45 and 7.4-8.4 GHz bands.
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Trump’s memo requires NTIA to “demonstrate” as part of its studies that relocation of federal systems on the 7.125-7.4 GHz band “will not materially impair the national security missions or electric grid operations” of those operations, based on assessments from DOD and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The studies won’t examine “systems at fixed geographic sites that are used for satellite telemetry uplink and radio astronomy,” the memo said. It also calls for NTIA to begin studying the 2.7-2.9 GHz and 4.4-4.9 GHz bands “to determine whether portions of those bands can feasibly be reallocated for full-power commercial licensed use” as part of the 800 MHz spectrum pipeline enacted in July via the reconciliation package, previously known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The directive calls for Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consult with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and other officials on “diplomatic engagements” to advance U.S. leadership on 6G. The diplomacy would include “building a coalition of industry and foreign partners that supports the United States’ positions on” 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference agenda item 1.7, which examines studies on sharing and compatibility and the use of international mobile telecommunications in the 4, 7/8 and 15 GHz bands. Trump said in the memo that ensuring U.S. 6G leadership requires “steadfastly advancing American interests in the international standards bodies that will play a crucial role in 6G development, and identifying a significant volume of radiofrequency spectrum that can be harmonized for 6G networks internationally.”
CTIA CEO Ajit Pai praised Trump’s memo Friday night. It “represents a bold roadmap for next-generation wireless leadership, pairing domestic action and unified diplomatic engagement,” Pai said. “That commitment starts with 275 megahertz of spectrum identified today for future commercial use, a critical downpayment that will help create jobs, strengthen our economy, and bolster America’s global competitiveness. We also applaud today’s action to ensure the timely and focused study of” the 2.7-2.9 and 4.4-4.9 GHz bands.