MWC 2024 carried a clear policy theme: spectrum decisions are now the gating factor for commercial 5G evolution and early 6G planning, not just a technical footnote. Regulators, operators and vendors used the GSMA Ministerial Programme to push the idea that spectrum roadmaps, predictable licensing and investment-friendly pricing are prerequisites for timely network rollouts and industrial use cases.

What delegates actually debated broke down into a few pragmatic threads. First, midband remains the sweet spot for capacity, coverage and latency-sensitive industrial use cases. Operators and equipment vendors framed midband allocations as the lever that unlocks 5G Advanced and the nascent 5.5G commercial momentum being discussed at the show. That framing matters because it pushes spectrum policy toward releasing usable midband in a way operators can act on, rather than indefinite studies.

Second, harmonization and licensing speed were elevated to political priorities. European policymakers in particular signalled frustration with uneven national timelines and long licensing gaps that delayed 5G benefits. The messaging was explicit: throw away the ‘‘staggered-by-country’’ playbook if we want to avoid repeating the eight-year friction seen during 5G rollouts. This is not just rhetoric; it creates regulatory pressure to standardize processes, timelines and pricing mechanics across jurisdictions.

Third, the industry argument over whether to seek more spectrum or repurpose existing allocations played out on stage. Some vendors and technologists argued for smarter repurposing and better placement of existing bands rather than just expanding the total quantum of spectrum. Practically, that pushes regulators to consider intermediate, transition-focused assignments and sharing regimes that enable migration of services without creating long-term stranded holdings.

Fourth, private networks and industrial connectivity received sustained policy attention. The GSMA sessions and roundtables highlighted that private networks do not always require exclusive, carved-out spectrum to succeed. Instead, collaborative licensing, localised assignment and usage-based approaches were presented as ways to enable industry verticals while protecting incumbent mobile services. Expect more policy work during 2024 aimed at clarifying the proper mix of licences for factories, ports and campuses.

Fifth, 6G moved from research labs into a political space. A set of like-minded countries used MWC to endorse shared principles for 6G research and collaboration, emphasising trusted technology, interoperability and spectrum planning as part of that early coordination. That political-level alignment will start to inform spectrum discussions upstream of World Radiocommunication Conference follow-ups and regional planning.

Operational takeaways for policy and tactical practitioners

  • Push for clear, publishable spectrum roadmaps. Operators need predictable timelines and regulators should publish renewal and reallocation plans that align with national digital strategies. The GSMA Ministerial Programme made this a recurring recommendation.

  • Treat midband as the near-term priority. Policy choices that speed midband awards and enable midband aggregation will yield more immediate capacity gains than speculative high-band allocations. Vendors at MWC framed midband as the foundation for 5.5G and 5G Advanced use cases.

  • Use transitional and sharing mechanisms to avoid spectrum waste. Where possible, design award conditions that enable incumbents to migrate and new users to access intermediate facilities. The repurposing argument at MWC suggests hybrid approaches will be politically and technically viable.

  • Reconsider the private network playbook. Licensing options that emphasise coordination over exclusive carving will be both politically easier to sell and operationally less disruptive to national markets. GSMA roundtables highlighted several models that regulators should test.

  • Factor security and supply chain into spectrum policy. Early 6G coordination at MWC included security and trusted supply language. Spectrum choices are increasingly tied to broader national technology policies and export controls.

Implications for the electronic warfare and contested-spectrum community

  • More harmonized midband allocations mean the civilian signal environment will densify in bands that are also attractive for sensing and short-range links. That increases the likelihood of unintentional coexistence incidents and will strain ad hoc mitigation techniques unless policy mandates coordination frameworks.

  • Transition regimes and sharing constructs create windows where legacy systems and new entrants colocate. For EW practitioners this is a predictable period of mixed-signal environments where detection, attribution and prioritization of emitters get harder. Tactical planning must assume imperfect spectrum hygiene during migration phases.

  • Private networks for industry will create numerous small, mission-critical deployments with bespoke security postures. That raises the bar for lawful intercept, interference resolution and incident response. Regulators should require minimal transparency and interference reporting from private network operators.

Practical policy recommendations (short list)

1) Publish multi year spectrum roadmaps aligned to national digital strategies and WRC outcomes. Certainty drives investment and reduces the political friction of last-minute reallocations.

2) Prioritize midband awards and aggregation-friendly licences while testing sharing schemes for transitional reuse. This yields usable capacity faster than long lead-time high-band programmes.

3) Build transparent pricing methodologies that prioritise network buildout commitments over maximum short-term revenue. High reserve prices and punitive fees slow deployments. The GSMA discussions at MWC emphasised investor friendly approaches.

4) Create lightweight regulatory requirements for private network deployments that preserve interference reporting, minimal registration and base-level security expectations. That balances industry needs with national spectrum integrity.

5) Align early 6G research principles across allied regulators to avoid fragmented regional outcomes that make harmonization and equipment markets harder to service. Political coordination at MWC showed momentum for this approach.

Conclusion

MWC 2024 did not deliver any single breakthrough on spectrum policy. Instead it concentrated an important, pragmatic consensus: spectrum policy must be predictable, harmonized and investment friendly to support the next wave of 5G evolution and the early stages of 6G. For engineers and EW practitioners the immediate operational effect is a denser, more heterogeneous midband environment during the transition years. Plan for coexistence, demand transparency and push for policy designs that reduce the duration of messy migration windows. The technical fixes will follow the policy certainty that MWC delegates asked for, and those fixes will determine whether spectrum remains an enabler or becomes a constraint.