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Understanding Modern Spectrum Management
The key engineering, legal and policy issues
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Glossary
3GPP
3GPP stands for the Third Generation Partnership Project. It develops protocols for mobile telecommunications and is best known for developing mobile technology standards like LTE (4G) and 5G NR (5G).
Standards developed as a result of 3GPP activities are widely adopted by MNOs, equipment vendors and device manufacturers, and are essential for the interoperability and compatibility of cellular services and applications.
3GPP establishes numbered spectrum band plans which define frequency specifications for licensed and unlicensed bands and for terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks (NTN). 5G bands are numbered with the prefix n (e.g. n1 is the 2.1 GHz band, and n78 is the 3.5 GHz band), and new bands are added regularly in the new “Releases”.
There are two Frequency Ranges (FR) defined for 5G:
- FR1: Encompasses bands between 450 MHz-6000 MHz
- FR2 Encompasses bands between 24250 MHz-52600 MHz (known commonly as mmWave bands).
- NR NTN satellite bands
3GPP is based on collaboration between seven standards development organisations (SDOs) known as Organisational Partners (OP). Companies and organisations participate as Individual Members (IM) through membership in an OP. Inputs, in the form of market requirements, are made via Market Representation Partners (MRP) in the Project. 3GPP consists of a Project Coordination Group (PCG) and Technical Specification (TS) Groups that are organised into Working Groups.
3GPP TS are agreed and finalised in Releases, with new or enhanced functionalities added in subsequent Releases. New Releases are established in a 12-to-18-month timeframe.
ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) defines technical requirements for next-generation mobile communication technologies. The standards developed through 3GPP aim to meet these requirements. 3GPP liaises with and contributes to the regional and global allocation of frequency ranges by the ITU to different radiocommunication services and it provides key inputs to ITU Reports and Recommendations. The cooperation between 3GPP and ITU-R has established a solid roadmap for the creation of new radio interface technologies and the evolving regulation and spectrum allocations for their use.