The state of 3GPP after the latest meetings
What was decided, what is moving and what comes next, from primary 3GPP documents.
- Reports
- RAN1#126-bis · SA2#177
Just decided
Weekly
SA2#177 agrees interim 6G core principles but postpones the architecture choice to November
Meeting report · Architecture · Rel-20
SA2#177 in Prague: 6G core principles agreed, architecture choice moved to November
Meeting report · Radio · Rel-20
RAN1#126-bis in Jeju: 6G cell search takes shape, the big radio choices move to Calgary
- Sleeping base stations, 5G voice and AI in the core: 6G's October choicesPreview · Architecture · Rel-20
Proposals on the table for 12-16 October 2026 weigh three trade-offs. One is base-station energy against how fast phones find a 6G cell. Another is whether calls may stay on 5G while data moves to 6G. The third is whether AI becomes part of the core network or sits beside it. The radio groups meet in Jeju and the core-network groups in Prague. Nothing has been decided yet.
- NR sidelink, Release 16–19: from vehicle links to relay chainsFeature · D2D · Rel-16—Rel-19
Over four releases, NR sidelink grew from a direct vehicle-to-vehicle link into a toolbox of power saving, relaying, multi-path, shared-spectrum and multi-hop features that let a UE reach other UEs and the network well beyond direct radio range.
- RAN#113: 6G migration postponed, NTN scope revised, 5G-Advanced lines drawnMeeting report · RAN Plenary · Rel-20
In five agenda items spanning 6G and 5G-Advanced, RAN's September plenary postponed the migration decision to December (RAN#114), approved a revised NTN scope, kept looser transmitter rules out of Rel-20 5G-Advanced, and earmarked power boosting as a potential 6G objective.
Decided next
What the next meetings have to settle
Open disputes and the meetings where they are due, from plenary and working-group documents.
Now
6G: study agreements, not yet a normative standard. 4 open questions wait for the next 2 meeting weeks.
Calgary, Calgary, Canada · working groups
RAN1#127 · On the agenda · 6G radio How long may a 6G base station stay silent?
RAN1 chooses the length of the synchronization block (4, 5 or 6 symbols) and its default period for initial cell search, from 20 to 160 ms. The period sets how long a cell can stay silent, the core of 6G network energy saving.
Sources: RAN1#126-bis draft report, R1-2608788In the 6G monitor →RAN1#126-bis report →
RAN2#136 · Next chance · 5G-Advanced radio Which system information will carry early channel feedback?
RAN1 could not choose between SIB1 and a new SIB and left the choice to RAN2. RAN1 requires only that the configuration reaches the phone before MSG3.
SA2#178 · Deadline · 6G core Which overall architecture will the 6G core use?
SA2 has three candidate architectures that differ in where AI sits, and the SA plenary wants a choice no later than this meeting. In informal October polls, 46 companies to 7 wanted essential connectivity to work without AI; AI agents as a core part of the architecture drew 16 yes and 32 no.
Sources: S2-2610852, S2-2611243, S2-2611351, S2-2611359In the 6G monitor →SA2#177 report →
Boston · plenaries
RAN#114 · On the agenda · 6G migration How will phones move between 5G and 6G?
RAN#113 kept 6G standalone with spectrum sharing as the base case and postponed any additional option to December. A 14-company coalition led by Samsung, Qualcomm and NTT DOCOMO wants 6G-anchored dual connectivity; Nokia and Ericsson reject every dual-connectivity and dual-stack variant; CMCC, Orange and satellite operators want dual registration, which the core architects must confirm first.
Sources: RP-262262, RP-261880, RP-261840, S2-2611399In the 6G monitor →RAN#113 report →
Updated 25 Oct 2026. Meeting dates from the 3GPP meeting calendar; a meeting can postpone a decision again.
From 5G to 6G
What 6G keeps from 5G, and what it raises
Study agreements, not yet a normative standard. Release 20 establishes requirements and technical direction. Release 21 is expected to carry the normative 6G specifications.
- Rel-19 · 5G-AdvancedAI/ML and Ambient IoTThe second 5G-Advanced release. 1,835 specifications →
- Rel-20 · now6G study, 5G-Advanced continuesRequirements and technical direction for 6G. 353 specifications so far →5G-Advanced Stage 3 freeze planned for Mar 2027
- Rel-21 · nextNormative 6G specificationsExpected to carry the first 6G specifications. What is agreed so far →Planned: Stage 3 freeze Dec 2028, ASN.1 freeze Mar 2029
Release dates are 3GPP plans, not achieved freezes (checked 25 Oct 2026): Rel-19, Rel-20, Rel-21
| Target | 5G | 6G |
|---|---|---|
| Theoretical peak data rate | 20 / 10 Gbit/s | 36 / 18 Gbit/s |
| Connection density | 10⁶ devices/km² | 10⁶ devices/km² |
| Radio latency target | 1 ms | 1 ms |
| Basic waveform (downlink · uplink) | CP-OFDM · CP-OFDM or DFT-s-OFDM | CP-OFDM · CP-OFDM or DFT-s-OFDM |
| 5th-percentile spectral efficiency | 0.225 / 0.15 bit/s/Hz | 0.675 / 0.45 bit/s/Hz |
| Horizontal positioning | 3 m indoor · 10 m outdoor (80% of UEs, Rel-16) | 0.75 m indoor · 6 m urban macro (90% of UEs) |
Sources: 5G 3GPP 38.913, 3GPP 38.211, 3GPP 37.910, 3GPP 38.855, 3GPP 38.857; 6G 3GPP 38.914 and RAN plenary agreements. 6G values are study requirements, not yet a normative standard. Compare 5G and 6G in the technology monitor →
From the archive
3GPP Quarterly · September 2026
70 decisions from 13 meetings
The decisions of the quarter, sorted by topic.
- Radio: Bands, RF & NR Evolution · 24 decisions5G phones will get channel feedback within milliseconds of connecting
- 6G · 20 decisions6G migration splits the industry three ways, and the choice slips to RAN#114
- Satellites, NTN & HAPS · 10 decisionsSatellite phones without GPS: per-beam reference points agreed, two-root PRACH narrowed
Earlier issues: June 2026 · March 2026 · December 2025 · September 2025 · June 2025 · March 2025
Technology Briefings
Technologies that made it into a release
One work item at a time: who backed it and which specifications change.
- Rel-203GPP closes its post-quantum study and starts rewriting 5G security profiles
- Rel-195G femtocells finally get a real specification
- Rel-20Mobile networks are getting an energy label — and a knob to act on it
Reference
How the network is built, and where each part is specified.
The network, part by part
Open the network map →Device
The phone or module: subscriber identity, power saving and the signalling it exchanges with the network.
Radio access
Base stations and the air interface: how the device finds a cell, gets scheduled and keeps the link.
8 key terms · 2 specifications
5G Core
Network functions behind the radio: registration, sessions, policy and routing of user data.
8 key terms · 2 specifications
Services
What runs on top of the connection: voice over IMS, mission-critical push-to-talk, broadcast and location.
6 key terms · 2 specifications
Security
Authentication, key agreement and protection of signalling between networks.
Management & charging
Operating the network: configuration models, self-organisation, drive-test data and charging.
Six releases of 5G
All releases from GSM to Rel-20 →- Topics
- 5G NRLTESatellite (NTN)5G CoreNetwork slicingIMS & voicePositioningSidelink & V2XEdge computingChargingUMTSTestingAll topics →
- Often looked up
- TS 38.331TS 23.501AMFLMFNTNGlossary A–Z
Everything here comes from primary 3GPP sources: meeting documents, chair notes, the work plan and the specifications on the 3GPP file server. Each report links the documents it is based on. How we work →