3GPP: The starting point
3GPP is the entity responsible for setting mobile phone standards. Broadly speaking, it is an international body where operators, manufacturers, and technology companies define how mobile networks should work. To this end, its members meet regularly to create mobile communications standards. These standards are like instruction manuals that indicate how phones should communicate with antennas, which frequency bands to use, how to manage resources, etc.
A simple way to understand this is to imagine that 3GPP is creating a new recipe: first it defines the ingredients, then the quantities, and then the order of preparation. Manufacturers and operators would be the chefs who, even though they use different brands of flour or oil (in this case, equipment or technologies), follow the same recipe, ensuring that their devices and networks are compatible with each other and work efficiently.
All these standards are grouped into what are called releases, which are like software updates. For example, release 8 introduced LTE, release 15 introduced 5G, release 18 talks about 5G-Advanced, and so on.
Supplier functionalities: The transition from standard to network
The range of possibilities offered by standards is immense, so the supplier chooses part of what is specified and also adds its own implementations that improve network performance. Not all suppliers have the same equipment and functionalities; rather, each one releases software versions that implement different parts of the standard. It’s like when you download a new software version of an application for your mobile phone or computer, which includes new features, performance improvements, bug fixes, support for new equipment… only in this case it would apply to the entire mobile network and, of course, here any error could be much more costly…
Mock-up validation
For this reason, before testing anything on the commercial network, it is necessary to carry out a prior validation on a mock-up. The mock-up is a controlled laboratory environment with various pieces of equipment that allow a real network to be simulated. Therefore, the first step in introducing a new software version into the plant is always to carry out this validation with a clear objective: to detect possible problems, check compatibility with the equipment, ensure that everything that worked with the previous software continues to work with the new one…
First network implementation: FOA
Once a software version or functionality has been validated in a mock-up, it must be tested on a small part of the real network. This process is known as FOA (First Office Application).
FOA is like a pilot in a specific geographical area, involving all the departments concerned (technology, engineering, supervision, optimisation, deployment, etc.) as well as the software supplier itself.
Statistics are monitored to check network performance and user experience, and field measurements are even taken if necessary.
Normally, if no problems are observed, after one or two weeks the FOA is completed and the necessary authorisation is issued for deployment in the plant.
Planning, deployment and optimisation
Once the FOA is complete, large-scale deployment across the entire network begins. To do this, the deployment deadlines and conditions must first be agreed upon with all units, as some changes require service outages, while others take a long time to implement…
Once the equipment is installed and configured and the network is up and running, the settings need to be adjusted and statistics reviewed to fine-tune details and ensure maximum service quality.
Conclusion: The magic behind the 5G icon
The next time you turn on your phone and see the 5G icon appear, remember that it is not magic, but all the work behind it, starting with the definition of international standards, through laboratories, pilots, deployments… until it reaches your hand, improving the way you communicate.
