The main topics of this plenary were the freezing of Rel-20 (5G) Stage 2 in SA, while progressing the 6G Study Item and doing an initial round of discussion for Rel-21 5G in RAN.

-      For Rel-19, the Work Item on AI/ML for air interface was finally completed.

-      For Rel-20 5G Advanced, SA froze Stage 2 with exceptions and approved a number of new WIs, while RAN approved new Work Items on NR NTN using Downlink Compensation and Increasing number of NR inter-frequency carriers for UE monitoring. The discussion on TN-NTN is completely blocked.

-      For Rel-20 6G, SA provided guidance to SA2 on the 6G system architecture based on operators' input (LS in SP-260999), but in RAN operators failed to agree on migration options beyond MRSS. Regarding diverse device types, the intention is to introduce so-called "reference device types" but there is no consensus yet on the exact content or how many reference device types.

-      For Rel-21 5G, SA asked SA1 to complete Rel-21 before starting Rel-22 discussions. The RAN Chair concluded that none of the companies' proposals in RAN looks commercially needed and asks companies to reconsider their proposals for the RAN#114 meeting.

Rel-19: Planning (RAN4 performance work completed)

RAN Workshop: took place in June 2023

SA Workshop: took place in June 2023

Stage 1: frozen December 2023 with exceptions (no more exceptions by June 2024)

SA Stage 2 work package: approved December 2023

RAN1/2/3 work package: approved December 2023

RAN4 work package: approved March 2024

Stage 2: frozen December 2024 with exceptions (no more exceptions by December 2025)

RAN1: frozen June 2025 without exceptions

RAN2/3/4 core functionality: frozen September 2025 with exceptions (no more exceptions by December 2025)

Stage 3: frozen September 2025 with exceptions (no more exceptions by December 2025)

ASN.1 and open APIs: frozen December 2025

RAN4: All performance WIs were completed by September 2026

Closed Work Items and Study Items (excluding spectrum-related and conformance testing)

Rel-19 NR

-      Perf.: Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) for NR air interface

Rel-20 (5G) Planning (Stage 2 frozen with exceptions)

Stage 1 SIDs: approved June 2024

RAN Workshop: took place in December 2024

SA Workshop: took place in December 2024

Stage 1: frozen June 2025 with 1 exception (no more exceptions in September 2025)

Stage 2 SIDs: approved June 2025

RAN1/2/3 work package: approved June 2025

RAN4 work package: approved September 2025

Stage 3 (CT) approval of SIDs: approved March 2026

Stage 2: frozen September 2026 with 4 SA6 exceptions:

• Use of Sensing results for Vertical Applications
• Application enablement aspects for MMTel phase 2
• Stage 2 for Enhanced Mission Critical Services Architecture Phase 2
• Logging and recording of mission critical services, Phase 2

RAN1: freezing target December 2026

RAN2/3/4 core functionality: freezing target March 2027

Stage 3: freezing target March 2027

ASN.1 and open APIs: freezing target June 2027

RAN4 Perf: completion target June 2027

Rel-20 (5G): XR (Approved Revised WID: RP-262249)

The objective was changed to enable burst information reporting.

Rel-20 (5G): NR-NTN in terrestrial bands (Noted moderator summary: RP-262246)

There is no progress on this topic. Australian, North American and Japanese operators again proposed WIs to implement NR-NTN in terrestrial bands but there was no consensus and no decisions were made.

Rel-20 (5G): New WI: NR NTN using Downlink Compensation (Approved WI: RP-262263)

SpaceX proposed a WI on NR NTN using Enhanced Time and Frequency Compensation. A significant number of companies saw this as an opportunity to integrate SpaceX into the 3GPP NTN ecosystem, although some other companies were very sceptical. The compromise was a Work Item with a study phase "NR NTN using Downlink Compensation".

Rel-20 (5G): New WI: Increasing number of NR inter-frequency carriers for UE monitoring (Approved WI: RP-262248)

A large number of operators and the big vendors supported this new WI.

Approved Rel-20 5G Work Items and Study Items RAN

NR WIs/SIs led by RAN1

-      RP-262263 WI: NR NTN using Downlink Compensation

NR WIs/SIs led by RAN4

Not spectrum-related

-      RP-262248 WI: Increasing the number of NR inter-frequency carriers for UE monitoring

Spectrum-related (non-basket WIs)

-      RP-262241 WI: Future Railway Mobile Communication System PC1 UL MIMO and TxD in n100 and n101

-      RP-262210 WI: Introduction of Supplementary Uplink (SUL) bands and band combinations for HAPS (High Altitude Platform Station)

Spectrum-related (basket WIs)

-      <None>

LTE WIs/SIs led by RAN4

Not spectrum-related

-      RP-262243 WI: Support of PC 1.5 for IoT NTN

Spectrum-related (non-basket WIs)

-      <None>

Spectrum-related (basket WIs)

-      <None>

Approved Rel-20 5G Work Items and Study Items SA

SA1

-      <None>

SA2

-      SP-260753 WI: External UE IP address exposure

SA3

-      SP-260963 SI: Study on SMS security

-      SP-260964 WI: 5G SBA enhancements based on best security practices

-      SP-260965 WI: Post-quantum Cryptography Migration for SUCI

-      SP-260966 WI: Security and privacy aspects of Integrated Sensing and Communication

-      SP-260992 WI: Support of AES-based 256-bit encryption algorithm and integrity protection algorithm for 5GA

SA4

-      SP-260910 WI: Avatar Communications phase 2

-      SP-261003 WI: Protocols, network APIs and data types for application energy consumption information collection, reporting and exposure - Stage 3

SA5

-      SP-260968 WI: 5G performance measurements & KPIs phase 5

-      SP-260969 WI: Charging Aspects of satellite access phase 4

-      SP-260971 WI: Charging aspects of CAPIF

-      SP-260972 WI: Charging Aspects of integrated sensing and communications

Rel-20 (6G) Planning (no milestone this meeting)

Stage 1 SID: approved at September 2024 (TSG 105)

RAN plenary SI Rel-20 focusing on ITU-IMT-2030: 12/24 until 06/25

TSG-wide 6G Workshop: Took place in March 2025 (TSG#107)

RAN plenary SI Rel-20 focusing on 6G General: approved at March 2025, until 06/26

SA2 and RAN WGs SID: approved at June 2025 (TSG#108)

RAN1 started in 3Q/25 until 1Q/27; RAN2/3/4 started in 4Q/25 until 2Q/27

SA3 and SA5-CH SID: approved at September 2025 (TSG#109)

SA3_LI, SA4, SA5_OAM and SA6 SID: approved at December 2025 (TSG#110)

Stage 1 (study): frozen March 2026

RAN plenary SI Rel-20: completed at June 2026

CT WG SIDs: approved at June 2026

SA2 (study), SA4 (study), SA6 (study), SA5_CH (study) freezing target: March 2027

SA3 (study) freezing target: June 2027

SA5_OAM (study) freezing target: June 2027

SA3_LI (study) freezing target: December 2027

SA1/SA2 6G SI may continue beyond Stage-1/Stage-2 freeze dates for 5G-Advanced

Rel-20 (6G): Migration options (Endorsed WF: RP-262262; LSout to SA2: RP-262255)

Despite many offline sessions, operators were not able to agree on migration options beyond MRSS and the decision was postponed to RAN#114. Most operators support Option 1 (6G RAN node as anchor, aggregated with NR cells). A few operators prefer Option 2 (5G RAN node as anchor, aggregated with 6G cells). Option 3 (aggregation is not in the RAN, 5G RAN connected to a CN and 6G RAN connected to a CN, no RAN impact is expected or specified from RAN perspective) will be decided by SA (SA2). A large number of operators does not want any other options in addition to MRSS.

Rel-20 (6G): Diverse device types (Endorsed Moderator's summary: RP-262256)

A minimum mandatory set of features/capabilities corresponding to each reference device type will be introduced, where at least three distinct sets will be introduced

• Reference device type 1: Massive IoT as an example use case
• Reference device type 2: eMBB as an example use case
• Reference device type 3: FWA as an example use case
• FFS: whether or not to introduce additional reference device type(s)
• Each reference device type is associated with at least the following:
  • A minimum number of Tx antennas/chains
  • A minimum number of Rx antennas/chains
  • A [minimum maximum] UE bandwidth for DL
  • A [minimum maximum] UE bandwidth for UL

Further discussion is planned for RAN#114.

Rel-20 (6G): OTA TRP/TRS requirements for 6G refarmed bands (Endorsed proposal: RP-262236)

RAN plenary agrees that, as a starting point, the applicable 5G UE OTA requirements of an equivalent 5G band should be used as the baseline for the corresponding 6G band. This baseline does not preclude further enhancement of the 6G OTA requirements.

Approved Rel-20 6G Work Items and Study Items RAN

-      <None>

Approved Rel-20 6G Work Items and Study Items SA

-      <None>

Rel-21 Planning (no changes this meeting)

5G-A/6G Package Approval: March 2027

Stage 1: freezing target: March 2027.

Stage 2 80% completion checkpoint: March 2028

Stage 2 freeze : June 2028 (100%)

Stage-3 freeze : December 2028

ASN.1/OpenAPI freeze: March 2029

IMT-2030 6G submission plan (approved LSout: RP-262218)

3GPP plans to submit only a Radio Interface Technology (RIT) based on 6G radio, name "6G" and give a high level presentation at the ITU-R WP5D workshop in February 2027 with final self-evaluation aiming at the February 2029 WP5D meeting. Also, RAN plans to approve a Study Item on Self-Evaluation at RAN#114 with completion date at RAN#122 (Dec 2028). The outcome will be a TR to be submitted to ITU-R WP5D. The Study will be a RAN level study with discussion and contributions in the ITU-R Ad-Hoc.

Rel-21 (5G): 5G Advanced RAN1/2/3/4 package (Noted TSG RAN/WG Chairs input: RP-262186)

The RAN/WG leadership presented a time plan on the creation of a Rel-21 5G package. Content-wise, the directive is to focus only on 5G Advanced items that address genuine, critical and immediate commercial deployment needs and minimize duplication of technical work between 5G Advanced and 6G. Time spent on 5G Advanced is at the cost of time available for 6G.

Rel-21 (5G): Company proposals (Noted Moderator's reports: non-NTN RP-262244; NTN RP-262193; RAN4 RP-262196)

The RAN Chair criticised that for every release the same non-NTN topics are proposed for yet more enhancements (RAN1 MIMO, RAN2 mobility, etc.). Also, operators mentioned that none of the proposals were, in their view, needed. Therefore the task for companies is to consider RP-262144 but focus on identifying commercial need for the proposed 5G Advanced Rel-21 items in RAN#114. For the NTN topics, the proposals are many and very diverse and not everything can be done. The RAN Chair told companies that the same criteria regarding commercial need will apply for NTN proposals in RAN#114. For RAN4, the proposed list of topics also seems far too long.

Approved Rel-21 Work Items and Study Items RAN

-      <None>

Approved Rel-21 Work Items and Study Items SA

SA1

-      SP-260774 WI: FRMCS Phase 7

-      SP-261004 WI: Multilingual Template-based alerts