3GPP SA #155 Athens Meeting

As I was sitting there in Athens, Greece attending the 3GPP meeting, I was struck by the passion and dedication of the participants to developing and advancing the standards for 5G and beyond. This is not to say that, everything were smooth sailing though.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a global collaboration between telecommunications standards organizations to develop and evolve the next generation of mobile networks. The 3GPP meetings provide a platform for experts from around the world to come together and discuss the latest advancements in technology, share their knowledge and experiences, and work towards developing new standards and specifications for the industry.

Over the course of the week, participants have engaged in a range of activities, including working group meetings and technical discussions. These discussions have covered a number of features, each at varying stages of development.

AI/MLsys and XRM remain to be the most active (or more popular) features, both held at the main main meeting room. As we move towards the deployment of 5G networks, there are many challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. The work being done by the 3GPP and its members is essential to ensuring that the technology is developed in a timely and responsible manner, and that it serves the needs of people and society as a whole. Therefore, one may appreciate the challenge this entails, creating consensus among a large multi-national group of companies, each with intentions to take the standards in directions that benefit their own product roadmap. Saying that this hinders the speed at which the standard is developped is an understatement. But this isn't anything new for 3GPP.

As the week drew to a close, I left Athens feeling inspired and energized by the passion and dedication of the participants and the important work that they are doing to shape the future of mobile communications. The 3GPP is truly a global collaboration of the highest order, and I am proud to have been a part of it.