Becoming 5G-Advanced: the 3GPP Roadmap

Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has standardized features and specifications for 3G through 5G cellular technology generations. Enhancements, advancements, and standardization of 5G technology continue with significant innovation.

This 5G Americas white paper provides an overview of key features and technologies under study and being specified in 3GPP for Release 18 (Rel-18) for implementation and deployment in the 2025-time frame. 3GPP Release 18 is branded as 5G Advanced for its significant improvements as it will include major enhancements in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality XR) that will enable highly intelligent network solutions that can support a wider variety of use cases than ever before. Rel-18 proposes standards for further intelligence into wireless networks by implementing machine-learning-based techniques at different levels of the network.

The various 3GPP security initiatives are discussed in the 5G Americas white papers on “Evolving 5G Security for the Cloud” (September 2022), “Security for 5G” (December 2021), and “Security Considerations for the 5G Era” (July 2020). Furthermore, 3GPP Technical Specifications for security are contained in the 33.xxx series and security Work Items are listed in the 3GPP work plan.

The white paper material is presented in 3 sections. Section 2 “Background” contains a description of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), 3GPP processes, a review of major enhancements and new vertical applications, an assessment of Global Market Trends and use cases, and a developmental timeline for currently active 3GPP releases. Section 3 “Radio-Access Technologies” highlights 22 new/enhanced RAN features and capabilities. Finally, Section 4 “System Architecture, Core Networks, and Services” presents service and core network developments currently underway in 3GPP.