MasOrange, Spain's largest mobile operator by subscribers, has teamed up with Ericsson to test spectrum in the 6 GHz band, marking one of the first concrete European moves toward 6G research and development.

The trials, reported by Fierce Network, position the Spanish market as an early testing ground for spectrum that regulators and standards bodies widely expect to anchor future 6G networks. For MasOrange, formed from the 2024 merger of Orange Spain and MásMóvil, the work also signals how the combined operator intends to keep pace with Europe's largest carriers in next-generation technology.

What is being tested?

The two companies are evaluating the 6 GHz band, a stretch of mid-band spectrum that has sat at the center of a long-running European policy fight. Mobile operators want it assigned for licensed 5G and eventually 6G use, while the Wi-Fi industry, supported by parts of the European Commission, has pushed to keep it open for unlicensed Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 services.

That regulatory backdrop matters for any 6G roadmap. If European authorities eventually license all or part of the upper 6 GHz band to mobile operators, trials like the MasOrange-Ericsson effort would give carriers a head start on radio planning, coverage modeling and equipment design. If they do not, operators would need to look elsewhere for the wide bandwidths that 6G is expected to require.

Why does 6 GHz matter for 6G?

Spectrum in the 6 GHz range offers a practical compromise between coverage and capacity. Bands below it travel farther but carry less data; millimeter-wave frequencies above it carry far more data but struggle to cover wide areas. Engineers often describe the mid-band as the sweet spot for dense urban mobile networks, and 5G deployments in the 3.5 GHz range proved that point across Europe.

For 6G, which standards body 3GPP does not expect to finalize until around 2030, the 6 GHz band represents one of the few opportunities to secure broad, contiguous channels. Testing now lets operators and vendors understand propagation characteristics before any commercial assignment takes place.

Commercial reality versus early research

The trials remain a research exercise rather than a deployment. No 6G standard exists yet, no commercial 6G handsets are on the market, and European regulators have not decided how the upper 6 GHz band will be allocated. Ericsson's involvement fits a familiar vendor pattern: equipment makers are running early-spectrum demonstrations with operator partners worldwide to shape standards discussions and position themselves for future contracts.

For MasOrange, the immediate commercial value is limited. The operator's near-term priorities still center on its 5G network, integration work following the Orange Spain-MásMóvil merger, and fiber expansion across the Spanish market. The 6 GHz testing is best read as groundwork: an investment in knowledge that pays off only if and when spectrum policy and 6G standards mature.

What comes next?

The next milestones on the path will come from regulators and standards bodies rather than from radio trials. The International Telecommunication Union is expected to identify candidate 6G spectrum bands in the coming years, and 3GPP plans to begin formal 6G specification work later this decade, with first commercial networks anticipated around 2030.

In the meantime, MasOrange and Ericsson say their testing represents an early step toward that future — a signal that Europe's operators intend to be present at the table when 6G spectrum decisions are made.