5G 3GPP Update and 5G Bands

5G evolution under 3GPP includes major updates from Release 15 onward, with enhanced spectrum utilizati on across FR1 and FR2, supporting diverse deployment scenarios.

1. 3GPP Release Evolution

1.1 Key Milestones

3GPP began 5G standardization in Release 15 (2018), defining NSA and SA architectures. Release 16 intro duced industrial loT and positioning enhancements. Release 17 expanded mMTC and satellite support. Rel ease 18 (2025) introduces AI/ML-driven features and Flexible Spectrum Access (FSA) for uplink optimizatio Π 10.

1.2 Flexible Spectrum Access (FSA)

FSA in Release 18 enables dynamic TTI-level carrier selection across multiple TDD/FDD bands, overcoming prior limits of two uplink bands. It reduces RRC reconfiguration delays and improves uplink experience 9

graph LR
    A[3GPP Release 15] --> B((Release 16))
B --> E((Release 17))
    E --> C(Release 18)
    C--> D{FSA, AI/ML Integration}

2. 5G Frequency Bands

2.1 FR1 and FR2 Ranges

FR1: 410 MHz -7.125 GHz (sub-6 GHz), used for coverage and capacity.

FR2: 24.25 GHz – 52.6 GHz (mmWave), delivers ultra-high throughput 1.

2.2 Band Types

SUL enhances uplink coverage by pairing low-band uplink with high-band downlink.

Summary

Ensure band compatibility and enable FSA via ELEX_SPCT_ACCESS_SW and FSA_CARR_SELECT_SW for optimal performance.