The 3rd Generation Partnership Project, or 3GPP, provides seven telecommunications standard development organizations a stable environment to produce the reports and specifications that define 3GPP technologies. The organizations include Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB) (Japan), Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), China Communications Standards Association (CCSA), European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI), Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) (Korea) and Telecommunication Technology Committee (TTC) (Japan).
LTE-Advanced Pro is 3GPP’s stepping stone to 5G systems. Defined in 3GPP Release 13, LTE-Advanced Pro will be used by other sectors, beyond telecoms, including critical communications (blue light services & other mission critical systems), the machine-to-machine or Internet of Things (IoT) sector, transport (rail, intelligent transportation system (ITS), etc.), education and many other areas.
Other 3GPP efforts include 3GPP Release 14 that provides mission critical enhancements, vehicle to everything (V2X) Internet of Things and other systems improvements to LTE communications. With the introduction of 3GPP Release 13 and Release 14 specifications as well as other factors including growth in internet penetration rate and high demand for connected and wearables devices, the IoT sensor market is poised to grow significantly. According to the report “IoT Sensors Market by Sensor Type, Network Technology, Vertical, and Geography – Global Forecast to 2023,” the global sensor market is expected to reach USD 22.48 billion by 2023, up from the 2018 level of USD 5.28 billion, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 33.6% during the forecast period. Forecasters expect the industrial vertical to hold the largest share of the IoT sensors market during the forecast period.