T-Mobile Requests FCC Permission to Test 2.7 GHz and 4 GHz Bands as US Accelerates 6G Midband Spectrum Pipeline
WASHINGTON — United States wireless carrier T-Mobile has submitted applications to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking two year experimental licenses to evaluate prototype base stations and mobile devices across the 2.7 GHz and 4 GHz frequency bands, targeting midband airwaves earmarked for upcoming commercial auctions and eventual 6G mobile architectures.
The filings outline plans to conduct extensive radio frequency trials across six designated facilities at the carrier’s corporate headquarters and research laboratories in Bellevue, Washington, running from November 2026 through late 2028. Specifically, T-Mobile has requested authorization to operate experimental base stations across the 2690 MHz to 2790 MHz segment of the 2.7 GHz band, alongside the 4800 MHz to 4900 MHz portion of the 4 GHz band. Both allocations are central to the national spectrum pipeline administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is evaluating commercial licensed sharing across 1.6 GHz, 2.7 GHz, 4.4 GHz, and 7 GHz.
A primary technical objective of the proposed field trials is establishing dynamic spectrum sharing and co existence models with incumbent United States federal agency operations. The 2.7 GHz range is currently allocated to critical public sector missions, including Earth exploration satellite systems, aeronautical radio navigation managed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and meteorological radar networks operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). T-Mobile indicated it will coordinate operational parameters directly with these agencies, expanding on preliminary field trials conducted at the FAA facility in Oklahoma City and the National Weather Service radar center in Norman, Oklahoma.
The regulatory filings arrive as the FCC prepares an auction roadmap that envisions offering upper C band frequencies in July 2027, followed by a planned 2.7 GHz auction in 2028. Speaking earlier this month at an investor conference, T-Mobile Chief Executive Officer Srini Gopalan characterized both upper C band and 2.7 GHz as strategically vital midband real estate directly adjacent to the carrier’s existing spectrum holdings. The application mirrors similar moves across the domestic telecommunications landscape, including recent filings by rival Verizon to test 6G use cases in the 4.8 GHz to 4.9 GHz frequency range.
