Can I search by working group or topic instead of a number?

Yes. If you don't have the number, search by a topic keyword or by the working group that owns the area and the matching specs surface. That's the usual case — you remember a spec covers, say, RRC or NAS but not its number, so you search the topic and let the tool give you the TS/TR.

What do the 3GPP working groups cover?

3GPP is split into Technical Specification Groups and their working groups. RAN handles the radio access network (RAN1 physical layer, RAN2 radio protocols like RRC, and so on), SA covers services and overall architecture and security, and CT handles core network and terminal protocols. Each spec belongs to a group, which is a useful way to narrow a search when you know the area but not the number.

Does it find both LTE and 5G specs?

Yes — the database spans the TS/TR catalogue, so 36-series LTE specs and 38-series 5G NR specs both come up, along with the architecture and core-network series that apply across generations.

3GPP Spec Lookup

Type any 3GPP TS or TR number, a title fragment, a working group, or a keyword (RRC, PFCP, SUCI, NGAP…). Click a result to see the working group, full title, and related specs.

46 of 46 specs

What is a 3GPP specification?

3GPP publishes two kinds of documents. A Technical Specification (TS) is normative — vendors build against it and compliance is tested. A Technical Report (TR) is informative — a study, a feasibility analysis, or a model (for example TR 38.901 for propagation). Numbers are grouped by series: 23.xxx for system architecture, 24.xxx for NAS and other UE signalling, 29.xxx for SBI / interworking, 33.xxx for security, 36.xxx for LTE radio, and 38.xxx for NR.

Working groups at a glance

RAN1 owns the physical layer — OFDM numerology, coding, measurements (TS 38.211 – 38.215). RAN2 owns the L2 / L3 radio protocols — MAC, RLC, PDCP, RRC (TS 38.321 – 38.331). RAN3 owns the NG-RAN architecture — CU/DU split, NGAP, XnAP, F1AP (TS 38.401 / 38.413 / 38.423 / 38.473). SA2 owns the 5G System architecture, SA3 owns security, CT1 owns NAS, CT3 owns stage-3 SBI protocols.

How to cite a spec

Always cite by series number and release when it matters: e.g., “TS 38.331 v17.5.0”. Every quarter 3GPP publishes updated versions — some fixes, some new features gated behind the release. The portal.3gpp.org page for each spec lists every version.

Related tools

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I download 3GPP specs?

All 3GPP specifications are free at portal.3gpp.org. Each spec page has every version back to the first release. The FTP mirror at ftp.3gpp.org is a faster bulk download source if you want a full release dump.

What's the difference between a TS and a TR?

TS (Technical Specification) is normative — vendors implement to it, GCF conformance tests against it. TR (Technical Report) is informative — feasibility studies, channel models, architecture analyses. Both share the same xx.yyy numbering, which is why TR 38.901 sits comfortably next to TS 38.214.

How often are 3GPP specs updated?

3GPP runs a quarterly meeting cycle. Each plenary week produces new versions of active specs with agreed CRs (change requests) merged in. A single spec typically sees 4–6 versions per year until its parent release is closed, after which only essential corrections land.

What is a 3GPP Release?

A Release is 3GPP's feature umbrella. Rel-15 introduced 5G NSA (late 2017) and SA (mid-2018). Rel-16 added URLLC enhancements and NR-U. Rel-17 added NTN, RedCap, and sidelink. Rel-18 is 5G-Advanced. A spec exists in multiple releases simultaneously — TS 38.331 v15, v16, v17 and v18 all ship in parallel.

How to look up a 3GPP spec

Enter your search. Search by number, title, working group, or a topic keyword.
Scan the matches. Browse the matching specs with their numbers and titles.
Open the document. Select the spec to go straight to it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I search by working group or topic instead of a number?: Yes. If you don't have the number, search by a topic keyword or by the working group that owns the area and the matching specs surface. That's the usual case — you remember a spec covers, say, RRC or NAS but not its number, so you search the topic and let the tool give you the TS/TR.
What do the 3GPP working groups cover?: 3GPP is split into Technical Specification Groups and their working groups. RAN handles the radio access network (RAN1 physical layer, RAN2 radio protocols like RRC, and so on), SA covers services and overall architecture and security, and CT handles core network and terminal protocols. Each spec belongs to a group, which is a useful way to narrow a search when you know the area but not the number.
Does it find both LTE and 5G specs?: Yes — the database spans the TS/TR catalogue, so 36-series LTE specs and 38-series 5G NR specs both come up, along with the architecture and core-network series that apply across generations.

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