3GPP is responsible for developing the "3GPP technical specifications".

Those technical specifications are considered the global standard for different mobile network technologies, including GSM, UMTS, LTE, and 5G.

3GPP is a partnership of several organisations, including network operators, equipment vendors, software developers, and research organisations. These organisations work together to develop and maintain mobile network technical specifications.

3GPP Releases

3GPP organises its technical specifications into major releases, with each release introducing new features and capabilities.

Here's an overview of the major releases,

• Release 99 (year 2000): The first release of the 3G UMTS standard, enabling services like video calling and mobile internet.
• Release 4 (year 2001): Introduced IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architecture for delivering multimedia services over IP networks.
• Release 8 (year 2008): Marked the transition to 4G, and introduced Evolved Packet Core (EPC) architecture.
• Release 15 (year 2018): Specified the 5G New Radio (NR) air interface and 5G Core network (5GC).