Saudi Arabia Enables 6 GHz Band

The Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recently announced that the Kingdom will permit the full 6 GHz frequency band for Wi-Fi use, which will enable 150% more open airwaves that routers can use for the new generation of Wi-Fi network.  By allocating 1,200 MHz of the radio spectrum for the WiFi6e, Saudi Arabia has now made 2,035 MHz of spectrum available for a new generation of Wi-Fi and other license-exempt technologies — more than any country in the world.

The Kingdom’s proactive decision to dedicate the entire 6 GHz band to unlicensed technology comes after recognizing the economic benefit of using unlicensed wireless technology as it will enhance the Kingdom’s ability to support next-generation Wi-Fi 6 and wireless technology.

This decision comes nearly a year after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that the entire 6 GHz band would be open to unlicensed wireless technology such as Wi-Fi 6. This ruling is key to enable new applications and services not possible in 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands. Wi-Fi wireless connectivity drives over $2 trillion in economic value and productivity globally. This figure is expected to increase to $3.47 trillion by 2023. 

For more information about this opportunity, or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, please contact Tareq.Ghazal@trade.gov.