The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) regulates the telecoms industry. They are also unabashed optimists, seeking to bring the world closer together. The ITU’s work on connectivity could be split into two distinct parts: work to support dense urban areas; and broader goals to connect rural areas.
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) unites [Seven] telecommunications standard development organizations (ARIB (Japan), ATIS, CCSA (China), ETSI, TSDSI, TTA, TTC), known as “Organizational Partners” and provides their members with a stable environment to produce the Reports and Specifications that define 3GPP technologies.
The project covers cellular telecommunications technologies, including radio access, core network and service capabilities, which provide a complete system description for mobile telecommunications.
The 3GPP specifications also provide hooks for non-radio access to the core network, and for interworking with non-3GPP networks.
3GPP specifications and studies are contribution-driven, by member companies, in Working Groups and at the Technical Specification Group level.
