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The 3GPP technical specifications are organized into different versions called “releases”, such as Release 99, Release 4, Release 5, Release 6, Release 7, Release 8, Release 9, Release 10, Release 11, Release 12, Release 13, Release 14, Release 15 and beyond. Various features introduced in each 3GPP releases are summarized in Table 2.3.

Some of these 3GPP releases involve the SAE right from the GSM to the 5G system as described earlier in Section 2.3. However, some of these releases involve the introduction of additional features only to improve the existing data transmission rates. New functionality or enhancement to an existing release is also added in each subsequent release. The Release 99, shown in Figure 2.10, was the first version where UMTS came into existence which evolved from the GSM/GPRS system in terms of the new RAN, UTRAN. Subsequent releases of the UMTS UTRAN introduced new features offering increased data transmission rates. Similarly, 3GPP Release 8 was the first version of the LTE system, and Release 15 was the first version of the 5G system.

Table 2.3 Summary of 3GPP Releases and their features.

3GPP Releases	Features
Release 99 [Year: 2000]	UMTS First Release, combination of GSM and UMTS, voice call through E1 interface.
Release 4 [Year: 2001]	UMTS core called Bearer‐Independent Core Network (BICN)/Next‐Generation Network,Splitting architecture, separating control plane and data plane
Release 5 [Year: 2002]	IMS, HSDPA, all IP network
Release 6 [Year: 2005]	HSUPA
Release 7 [Year: 2007]	HSPA+
Release 8/9 [Year: 2010]	LTE E‐UTRA/LTE Baseline Release
Release 10 [Year: 2011] and beyond	LTE‐Advanced, Career Aggregation
Release 15 and Beyond	5G System

Prior to Release 99, 3GPP technical specifications releases were known by the corresponding year such as Release 1997 and Release 1998. However, after the Release 99, 3GPP technical specifications releases are known by the corresponding version number only such as Release 4 Release 5 and beyond. A new 3GPP release details are described through its own and dedicated technical specifications series. However, because of a new feature or functionality, an existing technical specification from a previous release version may be also impacted. Details of such information can be derived from the 3GPP release descriptions document available on the 3GPP site [3].

Apart from the introduction of a new feature in each 3GPP release, a new message(s) or a new information element(s) or a new type of channel, either in DL or UL, to an existing protocol layer may be also added. For further details on each of the above releases, visit this 3GPP site [3].