3GPP standards intelligenceIndependent · Source-linked · Updated after plenary meetings

3GPP Explorer

What mobile standards decided — and what those decisions mean.

Rel-20 · Architecture8 September 2026

6G Takes Shape: What the August 2026 Working Groups Actually Agreed

Eleven agreed contributions entered the 6G architecture report in August. IMS voice carries over, the control/user-plane split loses its optional variants, slicing identifiers stay unchanged - and the AI architecture is still undecided. With the Release 21 schedule that says when any of it becomes a specification.

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Based on 3GPP meeting documents and agreed contributions. Study agreements are not yet normative specifications.

Current standards status

One generation in service. One still being negotiated.

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5G‑Advanced

Normative work

Standardized and evolving

Release track: Rel-15 → Rel-20
Current edge: AI/ML, Ambient IoT, NTN and energy efficiency
Evidence: 107 tracked decisions
Verified: 30 June 2026

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Study phase

Study agreements, not yet a normative standard

Release track: Rel-20 studies → Rel-21 normative work
Current edge: Requirements, waveform, architecture and migration choices
Evidence: 30 tracked decisions
Verified: 30 June 2026

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3GPP Quarterly · June 2026

The decisions behind the next network release.

13 meetings137 decisionsEvery claim linked to source material

Radio: Bands, RF & NR Evolution

5G-Advanced phones will get channel reports from a fixed SIB1 recipe, not on demand

Samsung, Huawei and seven others beat CATT and ZTE's push for a separate system-information block; MSG4 signaling stays static, not dynamic.

30 decisionsRead topic →

AI/ML & Analytics

AI-based channel feedback locks its data formats but not its quality metric

128 antenna ports and a fixed quantization codebook are settled; Apple, Huawei and Ericsson still want one CQI formula, while Qualcomm and vivo want vendors free to choose their own.

23 decisionsRead topic →

Ambient IoT

Ambient IoT devices will reuse LTE's interleaving method for better coverage

Ambient IoT devices will implement the more complex interleaving scheme, which should improve link robustness and coverage, particularly for larger data packets. This aligns the technology closer with mature LTE implementations, potentially easing integration for network equipment vendors.

17 decisionsRead topic →

Read the complete June 2026 issue

Past issues: March 2026

Technology Briefings

Technologies that made it through.

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Rel-19

5G femtocells finally get a real specification

3GPP's TSG SA plenary #105 approved a Release 19 work item, led by NTT DOCOMO, to write normative specifications for 5G NR Femto access points in homes and small businesses.

23.501 · 23.502 · 29.503Read briefing →

Rel-20

Mobile networks are getting an energy label — and a knob to act on it

Operators from AT&T to Orange and Telefónica backed Release 20 requirements, led by Nokia, that turn energy use, energy sources and CO2 emissions into criteria a customer can see and steer services by.

22.883 · 22.261 · 23.700-44Read briefing →

Explore the source material

Move from the interpretation to the specification.

The quarterly brief

Follow what 3GPP actually decided.

Decisions, rejected proposals and changes to 5G‑Advanced and 6G — with links to the source documents.

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