The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is an umbrella term for a number of standards organizations which develop protocols for mobile telecommunications. Its best known work is the development and maintenance of:[1]
The seven 3GPP Organizational Partners are from Asia, Europe and North America. Their aim is to determine the general policy and strategy of 3GPP and perform the following tasks:
The approval and maintenance of the 3GPP scope;
The maintenance of the Partnership Project Description;
Take the decision to create or cease a Technical Specification Groups, and approve their scope and terms of reference;
The approval of Organizational Partner funding requirements;
The allocation of human and financial resources provided by the Organizational Partners to the Project Co-ordination Group;
Act as a body of appeal on procedural matters referred to them.
Together with the Market Representation Partners (MRPs) perform the following tasks:
The maintenance of the Partnership Project Agreement;
The approval of applications for 3GPP partnership;
Take the decision against a possible dissolution of 3GPP.
The 3GPP Organizational Partners can invite a Market Representation Partner to take part in 3GPP, which:
Has the ability to offer market advice to 3GPP and to bring into 3GPP a consensus view of market requirements (e.g., services, features and functionality) falling within the 3GPP scope;
Does not have the capability and authority to define, publish and set standards within the 3GPP scope, nationally or regionally;
Has committed itself to all or part of the 3GPP scope;
Has signed the Partnership Project Agreement.
As of June 2021[update], the Market Representation Partners are:[6]
Focuses on decreasing latency, improvements to QoS and real-time applications such as VoIP.[13] This specification also focus on HSPA+ (High Speed Packet Access Evolution), SIM high-speed protocol and contactless front-end interface (Near Field Communication enabling operators to deliver contactless services like Mobile Payments), EDGE Evolution.
Release 8
2008 Q4
First LTE release. All-IP Network (SAE). New OFDMA, FDE and MIMO based radio interface, not backwards compatible with previous CDMA interfaces. Dual-Cell HSDPA. UMTSHNB.
Release 9
2009 Q4
SAES Enhancements, WiMAX and LTE/UMTS Interoperability. Dual-Cell HSDPA with MIMO, Dual-Cell HSUPA. LTEHeNB. Evolved multimedia broadcast and multicast service (eMBMS).
Advanced IP Interconnection of Services. Service layer interconnection between national operators/carriers as well as third-party application providers. Heterogeneous networks (HetNet) improvements, Coordinated Multi-Point operation (CoMP). In-device Co-existence (IDC).
Release 12
2015 Q1
Enhanced Small Cells (higher order modulation, dual connectivity, cell discovery, self configuration), Carrier aggregation (2 uplink carriers, 3 downlink carriers, FDD/TDD carrier aggregation), MIMO (3D channel modeling, elevation beamforming, massive MIMO), New and Enhanced Services (cost and range of MTC, D2D communication, eMBMS enhancements)[14]
Energy Efficiency, Location Services (LCS), Mission Critical Data over LTE, Mission Critical Video over LTE, Flexible Mobile Service Steering (FMSS), Multimedia Broadcast Supplement for Public Warning System (MBSP), enhancement for TV services over eMBMS, massive Internet of Things, Cell Broadcast Service (CBS)[16]
The 5G System – Phase 2: 5G enhancements, NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U), Satellite access[18]
Release 17
2022 Q1
TSG RAN: Several features that continue to be important for overall efficiency and performance of 5G NR: MIMO, Spectrum Sharing enhancements, UE Power Saving and Coverage Enhancements. RAN1 will also undertake the necessary study and specification work to enhance the physical layer to support frequency bands up to 71 GHz.
TSG SA groups focused on further enhancements to the 5G system and enablers for new features and services:
Enhanced support of: non-public networks, industrial Internet of Things, low complexity NR devices, edge computing in 5GC, access traffic steering, switch and splitting support, network automation for 5G, network slicing, advanced V2X service, multiple USIM support, proximity-based services in 5GS, 5G multicast broadcast services, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), satellite access in 5G, 5GC location services, Multimedia Priority Service...[19]
Release 18
2023 Q4
5G-Advanced. Introducing further machine-learning based techniques at different levels of the wireless network. Edge computing, Evolution of IMS Multimedia Telephony Service, Smart Energy and Infrastructure, Vehicle-Mounted Relays, Low Power High Accuracy Positioning for industrial IoT scenarios, Enhanced Access to and Support of Network slicing, Satellite backhaul in 5G...[20][21][19]
Each release incorporates hundreds of individual Technical Specification and Technical Report documents, each of which may have been through many revisions. Current 3GPP standards incorporate the latest revision of the GSM standards.
The documents are made available without charge on 3GPP's web site. The Technical Specifications cover not only the radio part ("Air Interface") and Core Network, but also billing information and speech coding down to source code level. Cryptographic aspects (such as authentication, confidentiality) are also specified.
Specification groups
The 3GPP specification work is done in Technical Specification Groups (TSGs) and Working Groups (WGs).[23]
There are three Technical Specifications Groups, each of which consists of multiple WGs:
RAN (Radio Access Network): RAN specifies the UTRAN and the E-UTRAN. It is composed of six working groups.
SA (Service and System Aspects): SA specifies the service requirements and the overall architecture of the 3GPP system. It is also responsible for the coordination of the project. SA is composed of six working groups.
CT (Core Network and Terminals): CT specifies the core network and terminal parts of 3GPP. It includes the core network – terminal layer 3 protocols. It is composed of five working groups.
The closure of GERAN was announced in January 2016.[24] The specification work on legacy GSM/EDGE system was transferred to RAN WG, RAN6. RAN6 was closed in July 2020 (https://www.3gpp.org/news-events/2128-r6_geran).
The 3GPP structure also includes a Project Coordination Group, which is the highest decision-making body. Its missions include the management of overall timeframe and work progress.
Standardization process
3GPP standardization work is contribution-driven. Companies ("individual members") participate through their membership to a 3GPP Organizational Partner. As of December 2020, 3GPP is composed of 719 individual members.[25]
Specification work is done at WG and at TSG level:[26]
the 3GPP WGs hold several meetings a year. They prepare and discuss change requests against 3GPP specifications. A change request accepted at WG level is called "agreed".
the 3GPP TSGs hold plenary meetings quarterly. The TSGs can "approve" the change requests that were agreed at WG level. Some specifications are under the direct responsibility of TSGs and therefore, change requests can also be handled at TSG level. The approved change requests are subsequently incorporated in 3GPP specifications.
3GPP follows a three-stage methodology as defined in ITU-T Recommendation I.130:[27]
stage 1 specifications define the service requirements from the user point of view.
stage 2 specifications define an architecture to support the service requirements.
stage 3 specifications define an implementation of the architecture by specifying protocols in details.
Test specifications are sometimes defined as stage 4, as they follow stage 3.
Specifications are grouped into releases. A release consists of a set of internally consistent set of features and specifications.
Timeframes are defined for each release by specifying freezing dates. Once a release is frozen, only essential corrections are allowed (i.e. addition and modifications of functions are forbidden). Freezing dates are defined for each stage.
The 3GPP specifications are transposed into deliverables by the Organizational Partners.
