SoftBank Corp. and networking equipment vendor Nokia has launched a 6G outdoor trial using the 7 GHz band, the first project for the telecommunications carrier in Japan.
In the trial, SoftBank installed three 7 GHz-compatible pre-commercial base stations in the Ginza district of central Tokyo in June of 2025. It will also use Massive MIMO technology that will compare coverage and radio characteristics of the 7 GHz with commercial 5G by co-locating 7 GHz with the base stations next to existing 5G base stations on building rooftops.
The goal is to use Massive MIMO to establish continuous coverage in the surrounding area. Future testing both indoors and outdoors in the trial will include the commercialization of 6G.
What is the 7 GHz band?
According to the companies, centimeter waves are radio waves between 1 cm and 10 cm. In this range is the 7 GHz to 24 GHz band, an emerging candidate for next-generation mobile cellular networks.
In the trial, the specific band being used is between 7,125 MHz and 8,400 MHz, which could potentially be used for 6G.
The 7 GHz band is a significantly broader bandwidth than 5G’s sub-6 GHz bands and enables nearly 2 GHz of contiguous spectrum. Characteristics like sub-6 GHz makes it well suited for high-speed communication and coverage.
Additionally, the 7 GHz band could be used to help with capacity and coverage in urban environments as 6G will continue to challenge the signal penetration due to buildings and other obstacles.
