7/15/2016

3GPPWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

3GPP
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

The3rdGenerationPartnershipProject(3GPP)isacollaborationbetweengroupsoftelecommunications
associations,knownastheOrganizationalPartners.Theinitialscopeof3GPPwastomakeagloballyapplicable
thirdgeneration(3G)mobilephonesystemspecificationbasedonevolvedGlobalSystemforMobile
Communications(GSM)specificationswithinthescopeoftheInternationalMobileTelecommunications2000
projectoftheInternationalTelecommunicationUnion(ITU).Thescopewaslaterenlargedtoincludethe
developmentandmaintenanceof:[1]
GSMandrelated"2G"and"2.5G"standardsincludingGPRSandEDGE
UMTSandrelated"3G"standardsincludingHSPA
LTEandrelated"4G"standards
AnevolvedIPMultimediaSubsystem(IMS)developedinanaccessindependentmanner
3GPPstandardizationencompassesRadio,CoreNetworkandServicearchitecture.[2]Theprojectwasestablished
inDecember1998andshouldnotbeconfusedwith3rdGenerationPartnershipProject2(3GPP2),whichspecifies
standardsforanother3GtechnologybasedonIS95(CDMA),commonlyknownasCDMA2000.[3]The3GPP
supportteam(alsoknownasthe"MobileCompetenceCentre")islocatedattheEuropeanTelecommunications
StandardsInstitute(ETSI)headquartersinSophiaAntipolis(France).[4]

Contents
1 History
2 OrganizationalPartners
3 MarketRepresentationPartners
4 Standards
5 Specificationgroups
6 Standardizationprocess
7 Deployment
8 Seealso
9 References
10 Externallinks

History
The3rdGenerationPartnershipProjectinitiativeeventuallyarosefromastrategicinitiativebetweenNortel
NetworksandAT&TWireless.In1998AT&TWirelesswasoperatinganIS136(TDMA)wirelessnetworkinthe
UnitedStates.In1997NortelNetworks'WirelessR&DcenterinRichardson,Texas,thewirelessdivisionofBell
NorthernResearchhaddevelopedavisionfor"anallInternetProtocol(IP)"wirelessnetworkthatwentunderthe
internalname"CellWeb".Astheconceptprogressed,Nortellaunchedtheindustryvisionas"WirelessInternet".
AT&TWireless,poisedtoevolveitsnetworkintheUnitedStates,tookastronginterestinWirelessInternetandits
promiseofInternetProtocol(withNortelNetworksasthepotentialsupplier).Within12monthsorso,AT&T
launchedaglobalinitiativethattheynamed"3GIP",athirdgenerationwirelessstandardthatwas"natively"
InternetProtocolbased.[5]Initially,principalparticipantsincludedBritishTelecom,FranceTelecom,Telecom
Italia,andNortelNetworks,butwereeventuallyjoinedbyNTTDoCoMo,BellSouth,Telenor,andLucent,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3GPP

1/10

7/15/2016

3GPPWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Ericsson,Motorola,Nokia,andothers.[6]A3GIPstandardsforumwasinstitutedandstandardsbegantobe
developed.Theforumprogressedintothe2000timeframe,upuntilAT&TWirelessandBritishTelecomformeda
strategic"partnershipproject"tofacilitate"globalroaming"betweenU.S.andEuropeanmarkets.Withthis
businessarrangement,GSM,theprevailingEuropeanstandardwasadoptedasthebasisofAT&TWireless'
networkevolutionforNorthAmerica.Veryspecifically,thisincludedthedeploymentofGSMdatacapabilities,
i.e.GPRS,EDGE,anditsevolutiontoUMTS.Withthis,theoriginalacronym"3GIP"morphedinto"3GPP",a
"3rdGenerationPartnershipProject"fordefiningthenextgenerationwirelessnetworkthatwasfundamentally
capableofsupportingInternetProtocolbasedwirelesscommunications.3GPPbecametheindustrystandards
forumthatdefinedUMTSandmorerecentlyLTE.

OrganizationalPartners
Theseven3GPPOrganizationalPartnersarefromAsia,EuropeandNorthAmerica.Theiraimistodeterminethe
generalpolicyandstrategyof3GPPandperformthefollowingtasks:
Theapprovalandmaintenanceofthe3GPPscope
ThemaintenanceofthePartnershipProjectDescription
TakethedecisiontocreateorceaseaTechnicalSpecificationGroups,andapprovetheirscopeandtermsof
reference
TheapprovalofOrganizationalPartnerfundingrequirements
TheallocationofhumanandfinancialresourcesprovidedbytheOrganizationalPartnerstotheProjectCo
ordinationGroup
Actasabodyofappealonproceduralmattersreferredtothem.
TogetherwiththeMarketRepresentationPartners(MRPs)performthefollowingtasks:
ThemaintenanceofthePartnershipProjectAgreement
Theapprovalofapplicationsfor3GPPpartnership
Takethedecisionagainstapossibledissolutionof3GPP.

3GPPOrganizationalPartners
Organization

Baseregion

AssociationofRadioIndustriesandBusinesses(ARIB)

Japan

AllianceforTelecommunicationsIndustrySolutions(ATIS)

USA

ChinaCommunicationsStandardsAssociation(CCSA)

China

EuropeanTelecommunicationsStandardsInstitute(ETSI)

Europe

TelecommunicationsTechnologyAssociation(TTA)

Korea

TelecommunicationTechnologyCommittee(TTC)

Japan

TelecommunicationsStandardsDevelopmentSocietyIndia(TSDSI)

India

MarketRepresentationPartners
The3GPPOrganizationalPartnerscaninviteaMarketRepresentationPartnertotakepartin3GPP,which:
Hastheabilitytooffermarketadviceto3GPPandtobringinto3GPPaconsensusviewofmarket
requirements(e.g.,services,featuresandfunctionality)fallingwithinthe3GPPscope
Doesnothavethecapabilityandauthoritytodefine,publishandsetstandardswithinthe3GPPscope,
nationallyorregionally
Hascommitteditselftoallorpartofthe3GPPscope
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3GPP

2/10