Discover

The '3rd Generation Partnership Project' ('3GPP') is a collaboration between groups of telecommunications associations, to make a globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone system specification within the scope of the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 project of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). 3GPP specifications are based on evolved Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) specifications. 3GPP standardisation encompasses Radio, Core Network and Service architecture.
The groups are the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, Association of Radio Industries and Businesses/Telecommunication Technology Committee (ARIB/TTC) (Japan), China Communications Standards Association ^[1], Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (North America) and Telecommunications Technology Association (South Korea).^[2] The project was established in December 1998.
3GPP should not be confused with 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2), which specifies standards for another 3G technology based on IS-95 (CDMA), commonly known as CDMA2000.

Contents

Standards

Deployment

See also

References

External links

Standards

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

Version	Released[3]	Info
'Release 98'	1998	This and earlier releases specify pre-3G GSM networks
'Release 99'	2000 Q1	Specified the first UMTS 3G networks, incorporating a CDMA air interface[4]
'Release 4'	2001 Q2	Originally called the 'Release 2000' - added features including an all-IP Core Network[5]
'Release 5'	2002 Q1	Introduced IMS and HSDPA[6]
'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[7]
'Release 7'	In progress (expected mid-2007)	Focuses on decreasing latency, QoS and improvements to real-time applications like VoIP.[8] This specification will 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 and onwards'	In progress (expected 2009)	E-UTRA, All-IP Network (SAE). Release 8 constitutes a refactoring of UMTS as an entirely IP based fourth-generation network.

Each release incorporates hundreds of individual standards documents, each of which may have been through many revisions. Current 3GPP standards incorporate the latest revision of the GSM standards.
3GPP's plans for the future beyond Release 7 are in the development under the title ''Long Term Evolution ("LTE")''.
The documents are available freely on 3GPP's Web site. While 3GPP standards can be bewildering to the newcomer, they are remarkably complete and detailed, and provide insight into how the cellular industry works. They 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 (authentication, confidentiality) are also specified in detail. 3GPP2 offers similar information about its system.

Deployment

3GPP systems are deployed across much of the established GSM market^[9][10]. They are primarily ''Release 99'' systems, but as of 2006, growing interest in High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) is driving adoption of ''Release 5'' and its successors. Since 2005, 3GPP systems were seeing deployment in the same markets as 3GPP2 systems (for example, North America^[11]). Industry commentators speculate constantly about the competing systems, and the outcome is unclear.

See also

★ Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)

★ 3GPP Long Term Evolution

★ Evolution to 3G

★ IP Multimedia Subsystem

★ 3GP

★ 3GPP2 - The 3GPP's opposite number in the CDMA2000 hemisphere.

★ GSM services

★ Telecoms & Internet converged Services & Protocols for Advanced Networks (TISPAN)

★ Open Mobile Alliance

References

1. CCSA Homepage
2. About The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)
3. Open Standards, Helping NGN become a reality
4. Overview of 3GPP Release 99, Summary of all Release 99 Features. ETSI Mobile Competence Centre, Version xx/07/04
5. Overview of 3GPP Release 4, Summary of all Release 4 Features, v.1.1.0 (draft) ETSI Mobile Competence Centre 2004
6. Summary of all Release 5 Features, ETSI Mobile Competence Centre, Version 9th September 2003
7. Overview of 3GPP Release 6, Summary of all Release 6 Features, Version TSG #33, ETSI Mobile Competence Centre 2006
8. Review of the Work Plan at Plenaries #31, 3GPP, SP-060232 3GPP TSG SA#31 Sanya, March 13-16 2006
9. GSM/3G Fast Facts. GSM Suppliers' Association, December 10, 2006
10. Resources: 3G/UMTS Commercial Deployments, Table listing commercially launched 3G/UMTS networks based on WCDMA technology, UMTS Forum
11. Cingular to Deliver 3G Wireless Broadband Services, Press Release, Cingular Wireless, MediaRoom 30th November 2004

External links

★ 3GPP

★ Free download of 3GPP standards available at

★
★ 3GPP Specifications Home Page

★
★ ETSI GSM UMTS 3GPP Numbering Cross Reference