5G-MAG tracks the early standardisation of media aspects for 6G systems. Most 6G work in 3GPP is currently at the study stage, so the focus here is on the relevant studies rather than finished specifications. What the SA4 media study covers is on the Technology page page; the study/work-item history behind these reports is on Release history. 5G-MAG's inputs to the 3GPP 6G workshops are on the Requirements page.
At a glance
- Status: most 6G work in 3GPP is at the study stage; the SA1 work item 6G Service Requirements (6G-REQ, Release 21, TS 22.270) is the exception. The content is provisional.
- ITU-R: Recommendation ITU-R M.2160-0 describes a framework and overall objectives for the development of the terrestrial component of IMT-2030.
- Release 20: the SA4 media study TR 26.870, the 6G system requirements in TR 22.870, the SA2 architecture study TR 23.801-01 (a draft, V0.9.0 of September 2026) and the RAN study FS_6G_Radio.
Specifications
The documents in scope of 6G media, grouped by where each one comes from: the ITU-R framework that sets the vision and capability targets, and the 3GPP RAN, SA1, SA2 and SA4 work.
| Specification | Title | Layer | Rel |
|---|---|---|---|
| ITU-R M.2160-0 | Framework and overall objectives of the future development of IMT for 2030 and beyonddescribes a framework and overall objectives for the development of the terrestrial component of IMT-2030, with its usage scenarios (clause 3) and capabilities (clause 4); edition of 11/2023 | ITU-R framework | |
| TR 38.914 | Study on 6G Scenarios and requirementsRAN (work item FS_6G_RAN_Scen_Req); scenarios and requirements for 6G Radio, as guidance for the RAN working groups and as input for ITU-R when developing the IMT-2030 technical performance requirements | Radio studies (RAN) | 20 |
| TR 22.870 | Study on 6G Use Cases and Service Requirementsuse cases and potential requirements for the 6G system, based on, but not limited to, the IMT-2030 usage scenarios; V20.0.0 approved March 2026 (SA#111), under change control | Use cases and requirements (SA1) | 20 |
| TS 22.270 | 6G Service Requirementswhere the 6G system requirements developed in TR 22.870 are captured (TR 26.870 V0.6.1, clause 1); a draft (V0.3.0, September 2026) that has not been subject to any approval process | Use cases and requirements (SA1) | 21 |
| TR 23.801-01 | Study on Architecture for 6G System; Stage 2the architecture study the SA4 media study aligns with (TR 26.870 V0.6.1, clause 1); a draft (V0.9.0, September 2026) | Architecture (SA2) | 20 |
| TR 26.870 | Study on Media Aspects for 6G Systemthe track most relevant to 5G-MAG: media-related opportunities and gaps for 6G; its media delivery work starts from the generalized Media Delivery architecture of TS 26.501 (5G Media Streaming) and TS 26.506 (Real-Time media Communication); a draft (V0.6.1); its annexes B to D document the AI traffic characterization testbed (annex B), the methodology and results (annex C) and the scenarios, network profiles and metrics (annex D), and annex E, a temporary annex, the netemu network emulator | Media aspects (SA4) | 20 |
| TR 26.925 | Typical traffic characteristics of media services on 3GPP networkstypical traffic patterns of media services delivered over 3GPP networks, with versions in Releases 16 to 19; TR 26.870 complements it with the traffic of AI media services | Media aspects (SA4) | 19 |
Release by release
6G is being defined in two parallel processes: ITU-R (IMT-2030) sets the global framework, and 3GPP writes the specifications.
- ITU-R framework: Recommendation ITU-R M.2160-0, "Framework and overall objectives of the future development of IMT for 2030 and beyond" (11/2023).
- Release 20: the SA4 media study, TR 26.870, is a Release 20 study. It aims to meet the 6G system requirements developed in TR 22.870 and captured by TS 22.270, in alignment with the SA2 architecture study, TR 23.801-01. Its conclusions will form the basis for further studies and normative work.
- Release 20, other studies in scope: the SA2 architecture study FS_6G_ARC (TR 23.801-01, a draft, V0.9.0 of September 2026) and the RAN study FS_6G_Radio, both approved Release 20 studies. No 6G item exists in the Release 15 to 19 release descriptions (TR 21.915 to TR 21.919); Release 20 facts here come from the 3GPP work plan of 28 September 2026 and the 3GPP work item pages, and are unverified against a TR 21.920.
Readers should treat all study-stage content as provisional.
Related
- Towards 6G Media: Release history
- Towards 6G Media: Technology
- Standardisation: how 5G-MAG submits feedback and requirements to SDOs
- 6G AI Traffic Characterization Testbed: the testbed documented in annexes B to E of TR 26.870, which measures the traffic of AI media services