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5G
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) evolution of mobile communication technologies from 5G to 6G has been a transformative journey spanning a decade, shaped by six releases from Release 15 to Release 20. This presentation provides a retrospective of this evolution, highlighting the technical advancements, challenges, and milestones that have defined the transition from the foundational 5G era to the emergence of 6G. Starting with Release 15, which marked the birth of 5G and its New Radio (NR) air interface, the journey progressed through Release 16, where 5G was qualified as an International Mobile Telecommunications-2020 (IMT-2020) technology, and Release 17, which expanded 5G into new domains such as non-terrestrial networks. Release 18 ushered in the 5G-Advanced era, incorporating novel technologies like artificial intelligence. Releases 19 and 20 continue this momentum, focusing on commercially driven enhancements while laying the groundwork for the 6G era. This presentation explores how 3GPP technology evolution has shaped the telecommunications landscape over the past decade, bridging two mobile generations. It concludes with insights into learned lessons, future challenges, and opportunities, offering guidelines on 6G evolution for 2030 and beyond.3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has been at the forefront of shaping the telecommunications landscape, transforming the possibilities of wireless communication. From the advent of the fifth generation (5G) to the initial steps toward the sixth generation (6G), 3GPP’s development timeline, spanning Releases 15 to 20, offers a rich roadmap of the latest mobile technology breakthroughs in the last decade. This 10-year retrospective examines how 3GPP has evolved the foundation of mobile networks, enabling a seamless transition from the 5G era to the dawn of 6G.
- BIRTH OF 5G. 3GPP started its 5G work by hosting a workshop in September 2015. At the workshop, there was an emerging consensus that there would be a new, non-backward compatible radio access technology (RAT) for 5G. After 5G studies in the Release-14 timeframe, 3GPP completed Release 15 in June 2018, marking the birth of 5G. This milestone introduced the New Radio (NR) air interface, laying the groundwork for a new generation of connectivity defined by improved speed, reliability, and flexibility.
- FIRST 5G UPGRADE. 3GPP Release 16, finalized in mid-2020, took 5G a step further by qualifying it as an IMT-2020 technology approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Release 16 introduced significant enhancements, including support for the industrial Internet of Things (IoT), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, integrated access and backhaul (IAB), operation in unlicensed spectrum, and positioning, among others. By broadening 5G’s application scope, Release 16 enhanced the network’s ability to support emerging use cases, such as smart manufacturing and autonomous vehicles.
- EXPANSION OF 5G HORIZONS. Release 17, finalized in 2022, represented the expansion of 5G into new domains, pushing the boundaries of what the technology could achieve. It introduced support for nonterrestrial networks (NTNs), allowing connectivity through satellites to extend the reach of 5G to remote and underserved areas. This release also defined reduced capability (RedCap) devices, enabling cost-effective solutions for IoT applications. By continuing to enhance multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) capabilities, coverage, and power-saving features, Release 17 continued to improve 5G’s performance to meet a diverse range of global needs.
- DAWN OF 5G-ADVANCED. A significant inflection point arrived with Release 18, finalized in 2024, marking the beginning of the 5G-Advanced era. This phase brought a sharper focus on integrating artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) into 5G to optimize use cases such as load balancing and mobility at the 5G architecture level. Release 18 also introduced network energy-saving techniques and enhancements for extended reality (XR) applications, reflecting the growing emphasis on sustainability and immersive experiences. Additionally, Release 18 addressed new deployment needs, such as deployments in a spectrum with less than 5 MHz bandwidth for the future railway mobile communication system (FRMCS).
- 5G-ADVANCED GROWTH. The momentum of 5G-Advanced continues with Release 19, set for completion in late 2025. Release 19 integrates AI/ML into the NR air interface, enabling smarter beam management and positioning. It also introduces subband nonoverlapping full duplex (SBFD) for more efficient spectrum use, low-power wake-up signal (LP-WUS) to extend device battery life, and ambient IoT, which facilitates ultra-low-power connectivity for massive IoT applications. Additionally, 3GPP conducts studies on channel modeling for integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) and the 7–24 GHz spectrum. These advancements not only enhance 5G-Advanced capabilities but also prepare the evolution toward 6G.
- EVOLUTION TO 6G. Release 20, set to start in the second half of 2025, represents a critical juncture in the evolution from 5G to 6G. It will serve as both the culmination of 5G-Advanced and the early bridge to 6G. On one hand, it will focus on a more selective set of essential enhancements for addressing commercial deployment needs. On the other hand, it will start a series of 6G studies, covering use cases, service requirements, scenarios, performance requirements, architecture, and technology components. These 6G studies will guide the development of 6G specifications in Release 21, aligning with the ITU’s IMT-2030 timeline. 6G standardization should focus on technical excellence to achieve simplicity and scalability; realistic and meaningful performance improvements; standalone architecture from the start;integrating computing, AI, and sensing to enable multi-tenancy; and should enable continuous enhancements and innovations.
Some 5G advances:
- 2019 R15 first release of 5G-NR ready for implementation, in non-standalone networks.
- 2020 R16 3GPP finalizes contribution for IMT-2020, submitting a single Radio Interface Technology (RIT) and combined Sets of 3GPP Radio Interface Technologies (SRIT).
- 2021 the complete 3GPP 5G proposal accepted by the ITU-R in Detailed specifications of the radio interfaces of IMT-2020 (ITU-R M.[IMT-2020.SPECS]).
- 2022 some important R17 projects alongside 5G enhancements
At its conception, 5G was envisioned to both enhance the human user experience and to enable various machine-related use cases. For a technology to be classified as a 5G technology, it needs to meet the requirements established by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The ITU’s vision for 5G, published in ITU-R M.2803, established the framework for what was to become IMT 2020. 5G technology meet the IMT 2020 requirements for massive machine type communications and are formally documented in ITU-R M.2150-2.
5G Standalone Architecture
5G Standalone Architecture
5G Standalone (SA) architecture separates the control and user planes, bringing several new nodes into the core network. Let's break it down:
- AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function): Manages user authentication and mobility. It works with AUSF (Authentication Server Function) and UDM (Unified Data Management) for authentication and subscription validation.
- PCF (Policy Control Function): Handles policy enforcement, billing, and roaming permissions.
- SMF (Session Management Function): Manages session establishment, PDU sessions, IP allocation, and traffic steering.
- UPF (User Plane Function): Routes and forwards user data between the device and the core network, enabling QoS handling and network slicing.
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