Why spectrum is instrumental for the success of AI

By John Kuzin, SVP of Spectrum Policy and Regulatory Counsel, Qualcomm

Note: This blog was produced under WIA’s Innovation and Technology Council (ITC). The ITC is the forum for forecasting the future of the wireless industry. Participants explore developments in the wider wireless industry, from 5G network monetization trends and streamlining infrastructure deployment to future spectrum needs and cell site power issues. These views are not a WIA endorsement of a particular company, product, policy or technology.

Wireless infrastructure and the spectrum it uses are critical to the successful growth of AI. The conversation around AI often overlooks a key foundational layer of the AI stack – the wireless connectivity layer.

At Qualcomm, we are always improving wireless connectivity. Today we’re enabling a world where your personal devices – your smartphone, tablet, watch, and eyewear – have a high level of localized, on-device intelligence and work in concert with edge and cloud AI to deliver useful services and applications. Because everything connects wirelessly, mobile data demands and associated spectrum needs will continue to grow. AI, in particular, will increase mobile data demands and the pressure for additional spectrum.

AI and Wireless Spectrum

Why does AI drive the need for additional spectrum and wireless infrastructure? You’re going to instruct an AI agent to book a vacation for you, and the AI agent will go off and complete the multitude of tasks required – from flights to hotel to rental car to restaurants. Your AI agent will know your favored airlines, hotels, and rental car company, and it will autonomously execute on the necessary vacation booking tasks. Instead of you taking an entire Saturday morning to do this work, you can do something more productive or enjoyable and let the AI agent work its magic.

This vacation booking example and similar AI uses will become mainstream and illustrate how AI will drive massive increases in mobile data traffic and the need for additional spectrum and 6G network infrastructure. AI agents will perform a broad range of helpful tasks for consumers and for workers.

The Nokia Global Network Traffic Report estimates that in 2034, consumer mobile traffic will increase 3x to 6x compared to today, with AI workloads projected to account for about 30% of total wide area network traffic.

One of the things that may be underappreciated by those who do not work each day on spectrum matters – like communications lawyers and engineers do – is that while the One Big Beautiful Bill Act set out a thoughtful framework for fresh mobile spectrum bands to be opened over the next several years, a lot of technical – and political – work remains to be done to make this a reality.

6G Infrastructure and AI

Most of the world knows where they will be deploying 6G systems. But in the U.S., there are bands under active study, but we still don’t know what frequencies are actually going to support 6G networks – networks that will incorporate AI in different layers and applications. A lot of complex work needs to occur and that work needs to be expedited in order to enable the U.S. to deploy 6G systems in the fall of 2029 when other countries will begin deploying 6G.

A critical part of the process is the importance of having industry work very closely with the federal agencies currently operating in the bands under study. This is necessary to ensure we have good solutions and open the mobile spectrum 6G needs. This work will not be easy, but it must be done. And to increase the chances of success, all interested stakeholders – federal users, mobile network operators, government contractors, and commercial equipment providers – must engage collaboratively. I think we will be successful because we have to be; it is essential to continued U.S. mobile leadership, economic growth, and national security.