4Introduction to Salient features of 3GPP Rel upto Rel 17

• The cellular technologies specified by 3GPP are the most widely deployed in the world, with the number of users passing 5 billion
• Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)


  Standards-developing organizations from all regions of the world that formed to solve the problem of trying to maintain parallel development of aligned specifications in multiple regions
• Present organizational partners of 3GPP

  • ARIB (Japan)
  • CCSA (China)
  • ETSI (Europe)
  • ATIS (USA)
  • TTA (Korea)
  • TTC (Japan)
• ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) in early 1998 had selected Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) as the technology for UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) in the paired spectrum (FDD) and TD-CDMA (Time Division CDMA) for the unpaired spectrum (TDD)
• There was a decision to harmonize the parameters between the FDD and the TDD components
• 3GPP Technical Specifications Groups (TSGs)

  • TSG RAN
• TSG RAN


  • It has developed WCDMA, its evolution HSPA, as well as LTE, and is in the forefront of the technology
• TSG RAN Working Groups

  • RAN WG1 (physical layer specifications)
  • RAN WG2 (layer 2 and layer 3 radio interface specifications)
  • RAN WG3 (fixed RAN interfaces, e.g. between nodes in the RAN, and between the RAN and the core network)
  • RAN WG4 (radio frequency (RF) and radio resource management (RRM) performance requirements)
  • RAN WG5 (terminal conformance testing)
• The work in 3GPP is carried out with relevant ITU recommendations in mind and the result of the work is also submitted to ITU
• The organizational partners are obliged to identify regional requirements that may lead to options in the standard, e.g. regional frequency bands and special protection requirements local to a region
• The specifications are developed with global roaming and circulation of terminals in mind, so many regional requirements in essence will be global requirements for all terminals, since a roaming terminal has to meet the strictest of all regional requirements
• Regional options in the specifications are thus more common for base stations than for terminals
• 3GPP releases


  Versions of the system with a particular set of features, developed over a period of months or even years and frozen at a particular point in time
• The specifications of all releases can be updated after each set of TSG meetings, which occur 4 times a year
• The 3GPP documents are divided into releases, where each release has a set of features added compared to the previous release
• The features are defined in Work Items agreed and undertaken by the TSGs
• Releases up to Release 17 and some main features

  • Release 99 (1999): First deployable version of UMTS, enhancements to GSM data (EDGE)
  • Release 4 (2001): Multimedia messaging support, first steps toward using IP transport in the core network
  • Release 5 (2002): HSDPA, first phase of IMS, full ability to use IP-based transport instead of just ATM in the core network
  • Release 6 (2004): HSUPA, enhanced multimedia support through MBMS, performance specs for advanced receivers, WLAN integration option, IMS enhancements, initial VoIP capability
  • Release 7 (2007): Enhanced GSM data functionality with Evolved EDGE, HSPA Evolution (HSPA+) with higher order modulation and MIMO, continuous packet connectivity, radio enhancements to HSPA
  • Release 8 (2008): Further HSPA Evolution features, dual-carrier HSPA, LTE specification
  • Release 9 (2009): HSPA and LTE enhancements including HSPA multi-carrier operation
  • Release 10 (2011): LTE-Advanced meeting IMT-Advanced requirements
  • Release 11 (2012): Advanced IP Interconnection of Services, HetNet improvements, CoMP, In-device Co-existence
  • Release 12 (2014): Enhanced Small Cells, Carrier aggregation, MIMO enhancements, New and Enhanced Services
  • Release 13 (2016): LTE in unlicensed, LTE enhancements for Machine-Type Communication, LTE-Advanced Pro
  • Release 14 (2017): Energy Efficiency, Location Services, Mission Critical Data/Video over LTE, Flexible Mobile Service Steering, Multimedia Broadcast Supplement for Public Warning System, enhancement for TV service, massive Internet of Things, Cell Broadcast Service
  • Release 15 (2018): First NR ("New Radio") release, support for 5G Vehicle-to-x service, IMS, Future Railway Mobile Communication System
  • Release 17 (2021): Optimized efficiency and performance of 5G NR, enhanced GSM data functionality with Evolved EDGE
• Release 99 contains all features needed to meet the IMT-2000 requirements as defined by ITU, including circuit-switched voice and video services, and data services over both packet switched and circuit-switched bearers
• The first major addition of radio access features to WCDMA is Release 5 with HSDPA and Release 6 with HSUPA
• With HSPA, UTRA goes beyond the definition of a 3G mobile system and also encompasses broadband mobile data
• With the studies of an Evolved UTRAN (LTE) and the related System Architecture Evolution (SAE), further steps are taken in terms of broadband capabilities
• HSPA


  The combination of High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), the most capable cellular data technology ever developed and deployed
• HSPA Evolution (HSPA+)


  A logical development of the WCDMA approach, with enhancements to leverage operator investments in HSPA
• HSPA is strongly positioned to be the dominant mobile-data technology for the next five to ten years
• Key features of 3GPP releases

  • Cell discovery, self-configuration
  • Carrier aggregation (2 uplink carriers, 3 downlink carriers, FDD/TDD carrier aggregation)
  • MIMO (3D channel modeling, elevation beam forming, massive MIMO)
  • New and Enhanced Services (cost and range of MTC, D2D communication, eMBMS enhancements)
• Release 13 features


  • LTE in unlicensed, LTE enhancements for Machine-Type Communication
  • Elevation Beam forming / Full-Dimension MIMO
  • Indoor positioning
  • LTE-Advanced Pro
• Release 14 features


  • 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 service
  • Massive Internet of Things
  • Cell Broadcast Service (CBS)
• Release 15 features


  • First NR ("New Radio") release
  • Support for 5G Vehicle-to-x service
  • IP Multimedia Core Network Subsystem (IMS)
  • Future Railway Mobile Communication System
• Release 16 features


  • The 5G System - Phase 2: 5G enhancements
  • NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U)
  • Satellite access
• Release 17 features


  • MIMO enhancements
  • Spectrum Sharing enhancements
  • UE Power Saving and Coverage Enhancements
  • Physical layer enhancements to support frequency bands beyond 52.6GHz, all the way up until 71 GHz
  • Enhanced support of non-public networks
  • Enhanced support of Industrial Internet of Things
  • Enhanced support of edge computing in 5GC
  • Enhanced support of access traffic steering, switch and splitting
  • Enhanced support of network automation for 5G
  • Enhanced support of network slicing
  • Enhanced support of advanced V2X service
  • Enhanced support of devices having multiple USIMs
  • Enhanced support of proximity-based services in 5GS
  • Enhanced support of 5G multicast-broadcast services
  • Enhanced support of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
  • Enhanced support of satellite access in 5G
  • Enhanced support of 5GC location services
  • Enhanced support of Multimedia Priority Service
• UMTS evolution to LTE

  • Release 99: First deployable version of UMTS, Enhancements to GSM data (EDGE)
  • Release 4: Multimedia messaging support, First steps toward using IP transport in the core network
  • Release 5: HSDPA, First phase of IMS, Full ability to use IP-based transport instead of just Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) in the core network
  • Release 6: HSUPA, Enhanced multimedia support through Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Services (MBMS), Performance specifications for advanced receivers, WLAN integration option, IMS enhancements, Initial VoIP capability
  • Release 7: Evolved EDGE, HSPA Evolution (HSPA+), Continuous Packet Connectivity (CPC), Radio enhancements to HSPA
  • Release 8 and 9: Initial enhancements to LTE
  • Release 10: Enhanced Uplink multiple accesses, MIMO enhancements
  • Release 11: Carrier Aggregation enhancements, Coordinated multipoint transmission and reception (CoMP), ePDCCH, Network based Positioning, Minimization of drive test (MDT), RAN overload control for Machine type communication, In Device Co Existence, Smartphone Battery saving technique
  • Release 12: Small cells enhancements, Carrier aggregation enhancements, Machine Type communication (MTC) enhancements, Wifi integration with LTE, LTE in unlicensed spectrum
  • Release 13 and beyond: LTE ADVANCED PRO
• 3GPP publishes its specifications in the form of releases
• Rel. 8, 9 is called LTE; Rel. 10, 11, 12, LTE-Advanced; and Rel. 13 and beyond, LTE-A Pro
• LTE-A Pro is the marketing name for a set of releases that cellular standards body 3GPP publishes
• Some important LTE-A Pro enhancements in Release 13

  • Carrier aggregation enhancements
  • Enhancements for Machine-Type communication (MTC)
  • LTE in unlicensed enhancements
  • Indoor Positioning
  • Enhanced multi-user transmission techniques
  • MIMO enhancements
• Rel. 15 introduces 5G NR, a new unified radio interface that significantly improves performance, efficiency and scalability of cellular networks
• 5G is the 5th generation mobile network, designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices
• 5G enables higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, ultra low latency, more reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users
• 5G is defined by ITU-R as IMT-2020
• 5G is going to be the future technology as it has low latency and high efficiency