A 3GPP Perspective on Spectrum Sharing for the 5G-to-6G Migration: From DSS to MRSS

2026-04-29

AI Summary

This work addresses the challenges of sub-7 GHz spectrum scarcity and inefficient multi-RAT coexistence during the 5G-to-6G evolution. From a 3GPP standardization perspective, it proposes an efficient Multi-Radio Access Technology Spectrum Sharing (MRSS) framework that moves beyond the limitations of conventional Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), which focuses primarily on coexistence feasibility, and instead optimizes coexistence efficiency. The framework enables smooth migration and coordinated deployment across LTE, NR, and future 6G systems. By re-engineering control channel design and interference management mechanisms, it substantially alleviates control channel bottlenecks and inter-cell interference during early spectrum transition phases, offering a scalable and highly efficient spectrum sharing solution for initial 6G deployments.

Abstract

Dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) played an important role in the 4G-to-5G transition by allowing 5G new radio (NR) to enter valuable legacy spectrum without immediate static refarming. Yet practical deployments also exposed the cost of coexistence of NR with long-term evolution (LTE), including overheads, control-channel bottlenecks, neighbor-cell interference, etc. As 6G begins to take shape, spectrum scarcity below 7 GHz is again making 5G-6G spectrum sharing a migration tool of interest. Multi radio access technology spectrum sharing (MRSS) is being considered by the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) as a key mechanism for 5G-6G coexistence. This article reviews the lessons learned from LTE-NR DSS and examines how those lessons should shape MRSS design. The main challenge is no longer basic coexistence feasibility, but coexistence efficiency which determines whether MRSS will become a broadly usable framework for 5G-to-6G spectrum migration.

Problem

• spectrum sharing
• 5G-to-6G migration
• coexistence efficiency
• MRSS
• spectrum scarcity

Innovation

• MRSS
• spectrum sharing
• 5G-to-6G migration
• coexistence efficiency
• 3GPP