3GPP Releases 16, 17 & Beyond

Despite the impact of COVID-19, momentum for enhancements to LTE and 5G standards continue with additional releases from the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). 5G Americas, the wireless industry trade association and voice of 5G and LTE for the Americas, has announced the publication of a white paper 3GPP Releases 16, 17 & Beyond, providing an update on the newest 3GPP releases launching the next chapter of 5G standardization and beyond.

For decades, 3GPP has maintained detailed mechanisms through standards which have enabled billions of worldwide users to access mobile communications. Comprised of seven different international telecommunications standard development organizations, 3GPP coordinates the establishment of technologies, radio access networks, core network and service capabilities, as well as non-radio access and interworking protocols for non-3GPP networks. 5G Americas is a Market Representation Partner (MRP) for 3GPP.

The white paper, developed and written by a 5G Americas technical work group, provides an easy to read and understand reference document, and includes these topics:

• Update and details on 3GPP timeline with new refined changes and additions due to COVID-19
• ITU-R and the 3GPP IMT-2020 submission
• Background on LTE and evolution of LTE in Releases 16 and 17
• Background on New Radio (NR) and evolution of NR in Releases 16 and 17
• Detail on system architecture and network-related features
• Visions and considerations on next generation wireless networks