3GPPn

3GPPn is a term occasionally used in industry discussions to refer to the next generation of specifications associated with the 3GPP, the standards body responsible for GSM, UMTS, LTE, and 5G specifications. It is not an official 3GPP designation, and there is no published 3GPP release or document by that name. In practice, 3GPP progresses its work through defined releases, such as Releases 15 through 18 for 5G and ongoing subsequent releases. The label “3GPPn” therefore remains informal and is often used to discuss future-generation research or the broader 6G discourse rather than a formal standard.

The standardization process for any future 3GPP development follows the established pattern: member organizations propose work items, technical groups assess feasibility and requirements, and consensus is sought before formalizing any release. If a formal next-generation project emerges under a 3GPP umbrella, it would involve collaborative contributions from operators, vendors, and research institutes worldwide, with a clear timetable, milestones, and a set of normative specifications designed for interoperability across networks and devices.

Speculative topics commonly associated with discussions around 3GPPn include higher data rates and spectral efficiency, lower latency, improved reliability and energy efficiency, advanced air-interface designs, and expanded support for non-terrestrial networks, AI-driven network management, and enhanced security and privacy. The term is also used in close alignment with the ongoing public discourse on 6G. In official 3GPP practice, any concrete next-generation work would be named and defined within a formal release process if and when it advances. See also 3GPP, 5G NR, and 6G.