On December 16th, the FUTURE Forum Spectrum Working Group meeting was held in Beijing. The meeting was chaired by Ding Xianhua, the working group chairperson from the State Radio Monitoring Center. The meeting conducted in-depth exchanges on key topics such as spectrum utilization for China's low-altitude economy, progress in 26GHz millimeter-wave applications, and IMT spectrum research, while also discussing key spectrum issues for WRC-27.

The meeting focused on research progress related to spectrum for China's low-altitude economy. An expert representative from the State Radio Monitoring Center presented the progress in low-altitude economy spectrum research, noting the wide range of application scenarios in the low-altitude economy and the diverse types of wireless systems involved, with public mobile communications being a crucial component. Spectrum utilization for the low-altitude economy requires strengthened cross-departmental coordination at a higher level.

Regarding millimeter-wave applications, an expert representative from China Telecom shared progress and future prospects for research in the 26GHz frequency band. They systematically introduced millimeter-wave networking and deployment plans, with a particular focus on analyzing the potential and challenges of millimeter-wave in integrated communication and sensing applications. Related research pointed out that the flat-installation method of millimeter-wave base station antennas still faces certain limitations in terms of communication and sensing performance. A dedicated analysis of inter-system interference issues was also conducted. Based on the conclusions of the interference study, the expert suggested that, while reasonably controlling the scale of base stations, to avoid coverage blind spots for millimeter-wave base stations, it could be beneficial to study relaxing the restrictions on the total radiated power above the horizontal plane for low-altitude base stations, thereby further enhancing overall system performance. An expert representative from Ericsson expressed support for the above views, sharing the latest technological advancements in achieving non-line-of-sight coverage for 26GHz millimeter-wave in complex urban scenarios, as well as positive results in uplink performance.

Concerning WRC-27-related topics, an expert representative from Nokia introduced the latest developments from the ITU-R cross-regional seminar. They summarized the positions of various regional organizations on Agenda Items 1.7 and 1.13, analyzed development trends in related research areas, and discussed differences between China's positions and IMT industry viewpoints on several key research issues.

An expert representative from Qualcomm focused on introducing the spectrum regulatory content involved in the U.S. "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (OBBBA). This bill centers on commercially-oriented spectrum management, aiming to provide more stable and predictable mid-band spectrum resources for 5G-Advanced and 6G by restoring the FCC's spectrum auction authority and promoting federal spectrum reallocation.

An expert representative from ZTE shared relevant opinions from the European Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) regarding the long-term development vision for the upper 6GHz band (6425–7125 MHz).

A representative from Ericsson, from the perspective of mobile AI service development, analyzed new characteristics in future mobile communication spectrum demands, including full-power transmission and single-operator ultra-large bandwidth requirements. They also updated global research and planning progress for the upper 6GHz spectrum and called for further interference coexistence studies between U6GHz IMT systems and existing radio service systems before WRC-27 to provide technical support for subsequent spectrum planning.

The meeting also discussed the working group's next steps. The working group plans to release a spectrum white paper at the Global 6G Technology and Industry Ecosystem Conference in April 2026, focusing on summarizing the current status and trends of mid-band spectrum development. Following this, the Spectrum Working Group Chair will lead the organization of members to conduct further discussions on the white paper's framework and division of responsibilities.