Sept 2026 3GPP meeting updates for 5G Advanced and 6G planning (with timeline for submisson to ITU-R WP 5D via ATIS)
2nd article in the last 90 days, one of 10 articles referencing 3rd Generation Partnership Project’s (3GPP). Previous coverage: European network operators in talks to form consortium to bid for EU satellite spectrum and provide D2M service (Sep 2026).
Companies mentioned
Best suited for
- Seniority
- EVP / SVP / VP / AVP
- Job function
- Chief Technology Officer
- Persona
- Platform / Infrastructure Architect
- Buyer role
- Architect / Technical Evaluator
- Buyer journey
- Open to Buy
- Adoption curve
- Early Majority
- Technology maturity
- Market Correction
- Industry
- Telecommunication Services / Diversified Telecommunication Services / Integrated Telecommunication Services
Our classification, not the publisher's statement. Best suited for, not only for.
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Plenary #113 meetings concluded with the RAN Plenary held from September 15 to 17, 2026 in Madrid, Spain. The cycle included updates for 5G Advanced (Release 20) and planning for 6G (Release 21), including where the first normative 6G document would land.
3GPP’s work in the September 2026 cycle mapped Release 20 execution progress toward Stage 3 protocol and core implementation, while also establishing Release 21 as the reference point for initial 6G normative development. TSG SA approved TR 22.870, “6G Use Cases and Service Requirements,” in Release 20 and set it as the Stage 1 anchor for Release 21 normative work.
For Release 20, the primary technical output reported was reaching a 100% completion target for Stage 2 (System Architecture), locking down the architectural aspects for the “next wave” of 5G Advanced. For Release 21 planning, the cycle covered progressive requirements via use cases and radio work, including studies into Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC), native AI/ML network applications, and “anywhere to everywhere.”
Delegates finalized deployment decisions for 6G dual connectivity, focusing on Option 1 (6G-anchored dual connectivity with 5G NR) and Option 3 (Dual stack, no RAN-level aggregation). RAN1 delivered preliminary performance evaluation work on Multi-RAT Spectrum Sharing (MRSS). The radio groups aligned on TR 38.914 by updating propagation channel models for targeted Release 21 spectrum ranges, and SA2 progressed ISAC requirements flows formalizing how a base station radio energy allocation would support radar mapping infrastructure. Forward-looking statements: ATIS planned to package submissions to ITU-R WP 5D in mid-2027, with later candidate technology submissions prepared for deadlines in December 2028 Stage 3 Freeze and February 2029 WP 5D meeting.
Press release, originally published by Alan Weissberger at techblog.comsoc.org.