3GPP membership clocks 700; 13 new companies joined since Jan 2020

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), in its latest announcement, has said that the number of participating member companies has steadily grown, from the original 350 companies involved in GSM evolution, to a new high of 700 companies - from around the globe - working on 5G specifications.

The statement from 3GPP indicates that the expansion of mobile networks beyond the needs of smartphones, to become the platform for many exciting new use cases for 5G, has led to the doubling of the number of new companies (2016 - 2019) joining 3GPP – Compared to the previous ten year period, as 4G was specified.

Since the start of 2020, 13 new companies have joined, from a variety of sectors - including; network & cybersecurity, satellites, AI specialists, civil defense, and some traditional mobile equipment manufacturers.

According to 3GPP, 5G brings another major technology step, with the creation of a 'New Radio' (NR).

Unlike with 4G, where 3GPP hesitated to join the generational march onwards beyond 3G, the project has embraced the alignment of the industry on NR and on LTE-Advanced Pro to provide 5G - 3GPP Release 15 content.