3GPP Advances 5G-Advanced with Release 19, Commences 6G Studies
3GPP CTP (Common Transport Protocol) leadership provided an update on Release 19 stability, 5G Advanced developments, and ongoing studies for 6G, with a focus on critical communications. Discussions included protocol enhancements for mission-critical services and emergency call robustness, as well as the integration of AI protocols into future 6G systems. The presentation covered upcoming plenary sessions in Singapore and the timeline for 6G study completion.
Key Takeaways
- Release 19 demonstrates early stability, with maintenance corrections decreasing, indicating high quality for the new release.
- 3GPP's focus for Release 19 includes protocol enhancements for mission-critical services and improved emergency call robustness, driven by real-world issues like an incident in Australia.
- Work has begun on 6G studies within Release 20, with 3GPP dedicating 50% of working group time to analyze existing protocols for future proofing and integrate new concepts like AI protocols.
- The 6G study completion is projected for September 2027, following the completion of studies in SA2 and SA3.
- New study items for 6G explore areas like data framework in the core network, AI protocols, and resilience and reliability in the core network.
Why It Matters
The steady progress on 5G-Advanced through Release 19 signifies ongoing network optimization for current deployments, ensuring enhanced reliability for critical services. Simultaneously, the early and significant focus on 6G studies, particularly integrating AI protocols and network resilience, indicates a proactive approach to defining future network capabilities. Industry stakeholders should monitor these developments, especially the 6G study timelines and AI integration, for early indicators of architectural shifts and potential new service opportunities.
Additional Context
Release 19 effectively marks the second phase of 5G-Advanced standardization, with specifications becoming implementable by late 2025 (3GPP, Release 19 page). The functional freeze for Release 19 RAN1 was on schedule in September 2023, while RAN2/3/4 functional freeze was anticipated for December 2023, per a November 2023 TSG RAN Chair update (3GPP Highlights Issue 07). Key advancements within Release 19 include improvements in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) in networks and for the NR Air Interface, Extended Reality & Metaverse capabilities, and enhanced Massive MIMO. It also focuses on aspects like Network Energy Savings, Ambient IoT, and advancements for Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), including support for IoT-NTN and Public Warning System (PWS) broadcasts over satellite (3GPP Rel-19 Summary presentation). The development of Network Digital Twin (NDT) concepts was also initiated in Release 19, with further enhancements expected in Release 20 for 5G-Advanced (3GPP Highlights Issue 11). These efforts indicate a continued push towards more intelligent, efficient, and versatile 5G networks, while simultaneously laying foundational groundwork for 6G.
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