3GPP develops 5G NR specifications in phased releases. Release 15 (2018) introduced the first 5G NR standard with NSA and SA options. Release 16 (2020) added URLLC enhancements, NR-V2X, and NR-U (unlicensed). Release 17 (2022) brought NR-NTN (non-terrestrial networks), reduced capability (RedCap) devices, and further MIMO enhancements. Each release builds on the last while maintaining backward compatibility.