third generation partnership project (mobile communications) (3GPP)
The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a standardization initiative concluded between various regional standardization organizations from Europe, the USA and Asia with the aim of advancing the technical specifications for 3rd generation mobile networks.
The 3GPP project, which also involves industry consortia and companies, was launched in 1998 and is intended to further develop the radio access network( UTRA) and the GSM network. The mobile communications system defined by 3GPP is part of IMT-2000, and Long Term Evolution( LTE) is another 3GPP project.
The 3GPP specifications, which are developed by Technical Specification Groups( TSG), describe the communication protocols within the radio access network and the Iu interfaces. These protocols are located above the ATM adaptation layer( AAL). They form the control plane for signaling and call setup.
3GPP works closely with the International Telecommunication Union( ITU) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute( ETSI), which adopt 3GPP developments as standards.