Specifications and standards may not be the mobile industry’s flashiest topic – especially when up against conversations about 5/6G, AI, and smart cities – but many breakthroughs and the global delivery of the most widely used technologies are owed to them.
While the immediate attention of attendees at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona might be drawn to the sprawling, futuristic stands and pavilions of operators and vendors, some of the most exciting developments – whether related to 6G, open RAN or disaggregation – can be found from the industry’s standards developing organizations (SDOs) and member groups.
With the Chairman of one the industry’s most influential groups, NGMN, saying during the event that standards will be “extremely important to efficiently meet customer needs,” here’s a rundown of the most influential bodies shaping the mobile industry today and why they matter.
3GPP: the technical heart of mobile communications
It makes sense to start this list at the technical heart of the mobile ecosystem. 3GPP is a global collaboration between various telecommunications organisations that produces technical specifications which are transposed into standards by 3GPP’s global organisation partners and regional standards bodies, such as ETSI, in Europe, and TSDSI, in India.
3GPP’s current specifications, published as Release 20, represent a “crucial step toward the next-generation network architecture” and aim to advance 5G while laying the groundwork for 6G. Release 20 includes an 18-month roadmap focused on enhancing the current capabilities of 5G, due to conclude in 2027.
3GPP is anticipated to finalise the main Release 20 package in June 2025. As well as specifications for 5G-advanced, we can expect more information on 3GPP’s vision and priorities for 6G, beginning with a workshop in South Korea this month. Ericsson estimates that the body’s 6G work will be specified by the end of 2028 in 3GPP’s Release 21.
GSMA: global implementation and operation
While 3GPP’s work focuses on the technical aspects of mobile communication systems, GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) Association) works in tandem with 3GPP to provide a broader operational and business framework. It promotes the 3GPP specifications that the mobile industry follows, ensuring the technologies can be implemented and operated efficiently across different regions and networks.
GSMA, which runs MWC and its regional counterparts, is currently pushing for an industry transition to standalone 5G (SA-5G) after a slow take-up so far. The organisation’s Mobile Economy Report 2025, released at the start of this week’s event, calls SA-5G “pivotal” to fully realising 5G-Advanced’s potential. Other focuses for GSMA include digital inclusion, sustainability and next-generation technologies, with the group’s Director General saying before MWC 2025: “That same disruptive energy we saw with the growth of mobile is here again in the AI era.”
GSMA is also using its flagship event this week to facilitate discussions between regulators, policy makers and politicians, and the wider industry on the future of digital policy. Knowledge and debates are being shared on topics from trust, cybersecurity, and data privacy to 5G’s economic impact and enabling better energy efficiency.
NGMN: guiding the industry to innovative and sustainable future mobile networks
With the industry on the cusp of a shift to the next generation of mobile technology with 6G, expert guidance from the operators themselves will be (and is proving to be) priceless. The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN) is a global, operator-driven leadership network that provides guidance to enable innovative, sustainable and affordable next-generation mobile network infrastructure.
Its work is often released in the form of publications such as the recent guidance on the key principles to transitioning to 6G, based on workshops and surveys with operators. As well as an effective, industry-wide transition to 6G and continuing to maximise the potential of 5G, NGMN’s work is focused on green future networks (GFN), and disaggregation.
At MWC, NGMN hosted its annual Press and Industry Briefing where newly appointed Chairman of the Board and Orange’s Laurent Leboucher laid out a vision and priorities for his tenure.
“The next two years are pivotal as we work towards network simplification and a smooth transition beyond 5G, towards 6G. With 6G standardisation work starting this year, NGMN will play a vital role in providing the industry with the necessary requirements to drive global alignment,” he said pre-event.
Better together
Leboucher also warned of the risks of ecosystem fragmentation, saying they made “global standards and industry cooperation more important than ever,” with NGMN “uniquely positioned to bring the industry landscape together and help shaping a unified, future-ready network architecture.”
Advancements in the mobile sector will indeed involve a patchwork of industry groups, involving not just 3GPP, GSMA, NGMN but others such as ITU-T (a United Nations organisation that sets requirements for 3GPP) and groups focused on specific issues in the mobile framework, such as O-RAN Alliance, which is concerned with Radio Access Network or RAN technology and creating open and virtualized mobile networks.
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