On April 15, 2024, the Third Generation Mobile Communications Partnership (3GPP) series of working group meetings, co-hosted by the China Communications Standards Association (CCSA) and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), opened in Changsha, Hunan Province. Representatives from more than 40 countries and regions, including China, the United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and India, attended the meeting. This 3GPP conference focused on the development of international standards for 5G evolution (5G-Advanced, 5G-A), covering important topics such as the integration of 5G and artificial intelligence, network and terminal energy saving, large-scale antenna enhancement, new duplex technology, non-terrestrial communication networks, future new frequency bands, and synaesthesia channel models.

Puneet Jain, Chairman of the 3GPP SA (Business and System) Technical Specification Group, Wanshi Chen, Chairman of the RAN (Radio Access Network) Technical Specification Group, and Peter Schmitt, Chairman of the CT (Core Network and Terminal) Technical Specification Group, said that the current 3GPP focuses on the standard research of the second version of 5G-A (that is, the Rel-19 version), which mainly focuses on the improvement of services in mobile broadband and vertical fields, and the expansion of new terminal types. At the same time, research on new basic technologies will be carried out to lay a solid foundation for future 6G standardization. In addition, based on the overall framework of 6G defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 3GPP has started to draw up a work plan for international standardization of 6G, and is looking forward to the continuous development of 3GPP standardization in the next few years.

Not long ago, 3GPP held its 103rd plenary meeting in the Netherlands to study and determine the timetable for 6G international standardization. 3GPP will launch the 6G business requirements study in September 2024, the 6G technology pre-research in June 2025, the 6G standard formulation in the first half of 2027, and the completion of the 6G basic version standard, that is, the Rel-21 version standard, in 2029.

3GPP is an international organization that formulates global mobile communication standards, with members covering more than 800 units such as telecom operators, communication equipment vendors, terminal and chip companies around the world. For a long time, 3GPP has been committed to promoting the formation of a global unified international standard. The international standards of 3G, 4G, and 5G developed by 3GPP have been widely used around the world, making important contributions to the realization of global interconnection of mobile communications, reducing costs and increasing efficiency, and improving economies of scale. On this basis, the global industry is making continuous efforts to strengthen communication, expand consensus, deepen cooperation, and work together to promote the sustainable development of the industry, economy and society, adhering to the principles of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.