The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is an umbrella term for a number of standards organizations which develop protocols for mobile telecommunications. Its best known work is the development and maintenance of GSM and related 2G, 2.5G, and 2.75G standards, including GPRS and EDGE; UMTS and related 3G standards, including HSPA and HSPA+; LTE and related 4G standards, including LTE Advanced and LTE Advanced Pro; and 5G NR and related 5G standards, including 5G-Advanced. 3GPP is a partnership project whose partners are its Organizational Partners (OPs), which are seven national or regional telecommunication standards organizations, and its Market Representation Partners (MRPs), which are a variety of other organizations.
Organizational Partners
The Organizational Partners (OPs) are seven national or regional telecommunication standards organizations that collaborate within the 3GPP framework. These partners include the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB) and the Telecommunication Technology Committee (TTC) from Japan, the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) from the United States, the China Communications Standards Association (CCSA), the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), the Telecommunications Standards Advisory Committee of India (TSDSI), and the Telecommunication Technology Association (TTA) from Korea.
Structure and Collaboration
3GPP organizes its work into three different streams: Radio Access Networks (TSG RAN), Core Network and Terminals (TSG CT), and Services and System Aspects (TSG SA). The Organizational Partners (OPs) play a crucial role in these technical specification groups, contributing to the development and maintenance of mobile telecommunications standards.
Market Representation Partners
In addition to the Organizational Partners (OPs), 3GPP includes Market Representation Partners (MRPs), which represent various sectors of the mobile telecommunications industry. These partners ensure that the standards developed by 3GPP meet the needs of different market segments.
Additional Acronyms for OPS
- Ops - Operations