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3GPP

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3rd Generation Partnership Project
Abbreviation3GPP
Formation1998; 26 years ago (1998)
TypeStandards organization
Region served
Worldwide
Websitewww.3gpp.org

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]

3GPP is a consortium with seven national or regional telecommunication standards organizations as primary members ("organizational partners") and a variety of other organizations as associate members ("market representation partners"). The 3GPP organizes its work into three different streams: Radio Access Networks, Services and Systems Aspects, and Core Network and Terminals.[2]

The project was established in December 1998 with the goal of developing a specification for a 3G mobile phone system based on the 2G GSM system, within the scope of the International Telecommunication Union's International Mobile Telecommunications-2000, hence the name 3GPP.[3] It should not be confused with 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2), which developed a competing 3G system, CDMA2000.[4]

The 3GPP administrative support team (known as the "Mobile Competence Centre") is located at the European Telecommunications Standards Institute headquarters in the Sophia Antipolis technology park in France.[5]

Organizational Partners

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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 Organizational Partners are:[6]

Organizational Partners
Organization Country/region Website
Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB) Japan ARIB
Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) USA ATIS
China Communications Standards Association (CCSA) China CCSA
European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Europe ETSI
Telecommunications Standards Development Society (TSDSI) India TSDSI
Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) South Korea TTA
Telecommunication Technology Committee (TTC) Japan TTC

Market Representation Partners

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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, the Market Representation Partners are:[6]

Market Representation Partners
Organization Website
5G-ACIA https://www.5g-acia.org
5G Automotive Association https://www.5gaa.org/
5G Americas https://www.5gamericas.org
5G Deterministic Networking Alliance (5GDNA) https://www.5gdna.org/
6G Smart Network and Services Industry Association (6G-IA) https://6g-ia.eu/
5G Slicing Association (5GSA) https://www.5g-sa.org/
5G Media Action Group (5G-MAG) https://www.5g-mag.com/
Automotive Edge Computing Consortium (AECC) https://aecc.org/
Broadband India Forum https://www.broadbandindiaforum.com/
Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) https://www.coai.com
China Society of Automotive Engineers (CSAE) https://www.sae-china.org/
CTIA https://ctia.org/
EMEA Satellite Operators Association (ESOA) https://www.esoa.net/
Global Certification Forum (GCF) https://www.globalcertificationforum.org/
Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) https://gsacom.com/
GSMA https://www.gsma.com/
IPV6 Forum https://www.ipv6forum.com/
Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) https://www.ngmn.org/
Public Safety Communication Europe (PSCE) Forum https://www.psc-europe.eu/
Small Cell Forum https://www.smallcellforum.org/
TCCA https://tcca.info/
TD Industry Alliance https://www.tdia.cn/
Wireless Broadband Alliance https://www.wballiance.com/

Standards

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3GPP standards are structured as Releases. Discussion of 3GPP thus frequently refers to the functionality in one release or another.

Version[7] Released[8] Info
Phase 1 1992 GSM Features
Phase 2 1995 GSM Features, EFR Codec,
Release 96 1997 Q1 GSM Features, 14.4 kbit/s User Data Rate,
Release 97 1998 Q1 GSM Features, GPRS
Release 98 1999 Q1 GSM Features, AMR codec, EDGE, GPRS for PCS1900
Release 99 2000 Q1 Specified the first UMTS 3G networks, incorporating a CDMA air interface[9]
Release 4 2001 Q2 Originally called the Release 2000 – added features including an all-IP Core Network[10]
Release 5 2002 Q1 Introduced IMS and HSDPA[11]
Release 6 2004 Q4 Integrated operation with Wireless LAN networks and adds HSUPA, MBMS, enhancements to IMS such as Push to Talk over Cellular (PoC), GAN[12]
Release 7 2007 Q4 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. UMTS HNB.
Release 9 2009 Q4 SAES Enhancements, WiMAX and LTE/UMTS Interoperability. Dual-Cell HSDPA with MIMO, Dual-Cell HSUPA. LTE HeNB. Evolved multimedia broadcast and multicast service (eMBMS).
Release 10 2011 Q1 LTE Advanced fulfilling IMT Advanced 4G requirements. Backwards compatible with release 8 (LTE). Multi-Cell HSDPA (4 carriers).
Release 11 2012 Q3 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]
Release 13 2016 Q1 LTE-Advanced Pro. LTE in unlicensed, LTE enhancements for Machine-Type Communication. Elevation Beamforming / Full-Dimension MIMO, Indoor positioning.[15]
Release 14 2017 Q2 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]
Release 15 2018 Q2 First 5G NR ("New Radio") release. Support for 5G Vehicle-to-x service, IP Multimedia Core Network Subsystem (IMS), Future Railway Mobile Communication System[17]
Release 16 2020 Q3 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]
Release 19 [22] 2025 Q4 5G-Advanced.

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

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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.
WG Shorthand Scope Specifications
RAN WG1 RAN1 Radio Layer 1 (Physical layer) List of specs
RAN WG2 RAN2 Radio Layer 2 and Radio Layer 3 Radio Resource Control List of specs
RAN WG3 RAN3 UTRAN, E-UTRAN, NG-RAN architecture and related network interfaces List of specs
RAN WG4 RAN4 Radio performance and protocol aspects List of specs
RAN WG5 RAN5 Mobile terminal conformance testing List of specs
  • 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.
WG Shorthand Scope Specifications
SA WG1 SA1 Services List of specs
SA WG2 SA2 Architecture List of specs
SA WG3 SA3 Security List of specs
SA WG4 SA4 Codec List of specs
SA WG5 SA5 Management, Orchestration and Charging List of specs
SA WG6 SA6 Application Enablement and Critical Communication Applications List of specs
  • 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.
WG Shorthand Scope Specifications
CT WG1 CT1 User Equipment – Core Network protocols List of specs
CT WG2 CT2 closed
CT WG3 CT3 Interworking with external networks List of specs
CT WG4 CT4 Core Network Protocols List of specs
CT WG5 CT5 closed
CT WG6 CT6 Smart Card Application Aspects List of specs
  • GERAN (GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network):

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

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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.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ 3GPP Scope and Objectives, 31 August 2007
  2. ^ "About 3GPP". 3GPP. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  3. ^ "3GPP Background". 7 June 2000. Archived from the original on 6 July 2000.
  4. ^ "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2". Archived from the original on 23 January 2004. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  5. ^ "Mobile Competence Centre". 3GPP. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Partners". 3GPP.
  7. ^ Releases
  8. ^ "3GPP Specifications – Releases (and phases and stages)". Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  9. ^ Overview of 3GPP Release 99, Summary of all Release 99 Features. ETSI Mobile Competence Centre, Version xx/07/04
  10. ^ Overview of 3GPP Release 4, Summary of all Release 4 Features, v.1.1.0 (draft) ETSI Mobile Competence Centre 2004
  11. ^ Summary of all Release 5 Features, ETSI Mobile Competence Centre, Version 9 September 2003
  12. ^ Overview of 3GPP Release 6, Summary of all Release 6 Features, Version TSG #33, ETSI Mobile Competence Centre 2006
  13. ^ Review of the Work Plan at Plenaries #31, 3GPP, SP-060232 3GPP TSG SA#31 Sanya, 13–16 March 2006
  14. ^ "Highlights of 3GPP Release 12". Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  15. ^ "Release 13 priorities". Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  16. ^ "3GPP Portal > Specifications". portal.3gpp.org. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  17. ^ "3GPP Portal > Specifications". portal.3gpp.org. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  18. ^ "3GPP Portal > Specifications". portal.3gpp.org. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  19. ^ a b "5G evolution toward 5G advanced: An overview of 3GPP releases 17 and 18". Ericsson. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  20. ^ "Release 18". 3gpp.org. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  21. ^ "5G-Advanced's system architecture begins taking shape at 3GPP". Nokia. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  22. ^ "Release 19". 3GPP. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  23. ^ "Specification Groups". Archived from the original on 9 May 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  24. ^ closure of GERAN
  25. ^ 3GPP membership
  26. ^ 3GPP TR 21.900 Technical Specification Group working methods
  27. ^ ITU-T Recommendation I.130
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