Focuses on decreasing latency, improvements to QoS and real-time applications such as VoIP.[8] This specification will also focus on HSPA+ (High Speed Packet Access Evolution), SIM high-speed protocol and contactless front-end interface (Near Field Communication enabling operators to deliver contactless services like Mobile Payments), EDGE Evolution.
LTE, All-IP Network (SAE). Release 8 constitutes a refactoring of UMTS as an entirely IP based fourth-generation network.
Each release incorporates hundreds of individual standards documents, each of which may have been through many revisions. Current 3GPP standards incorporate the latest revision of the GSM standards. 3GPP's plans for the future beyond Release 7 are in the development under the title Long Term Evolution ("LTE").
The documents are available freely on 3GPP's Web site. While 3GPP standards can be bewildering to the newcomer, they are remarkably complete and detailed, and provide insight into how the cellular industry works. They cover not only the radio part ("Air Interface") and Core Network, but also billing information and speech coding down to source code level. Cryptographic aspects (authentication, confidentiality) are also specified in detail. 3GPP2 offers similar information about its system.
Deployment
3GPP systems are deployed across much of the established GSM market[9][10]. They are primarily Release 99 systems, but as of 2006, growing interest in High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) is driving adoption of Release 5 and its successors. Since 2005, 3GPP systems were seeing deployment in the same markets as 3GPP2 systems (for example, North America[11]). Industry commentators speculate constantly about the competing systems, and the outcome is unclear.