eXtended Reality (XR) covers virtual, augmented and mixed reality media delivered over 5G. This page groups the relevant MPEG and 3GPP deliverables (scene description, AR/XR device and delivery specifications, split rendering, IVAS immersive audio), then lists the associated 3GPP work items by release. For how these pieces fit together, see the Technology page.
5G-MAG tracks this work area as it moves from study to normative specification: MPEG-I Scene Description (ISO/IEC 23090-14 and the MPEG glTF 2.0 extensions), delivery over 5G Media Streaming (TS 26.501, TS 26.512), device capabilities and split rendering (TS 26.119 MeCAR, TS 26.565 Split Rendering Media Service Enabler), and immersive audio (the IVAS codec deliverables and related split-rendering work). This page is a tracking view; confirm against primary sources before relying on a specific status.
- Layers: scene and media formats (MPEG), delivery (3GPP SA4), device and media capabilities (3GPP SA4), and radio and system (3GPP RAN and SA2).
- Scene description: ISO/IEC 23090-14, second edition published in November 2025; Amendment 1 is at final draft stage.
- Devices and split rendering: TS 26.119 (MeCAR) and TS 26.565 (Split Rendering Media Service Enabler), anchored by the studies TR 26.928 and TR 26.998.
- Work items: the tables under Release by release list the XR work items from Release 15 to Release 20.
Specifications
The MPEG and 3GPP deliverables in scope of XR, filterable by the layer they cover. Search matches the specification number, its title and any scope note; the note carries the 3GPP status and working group.
TR 26.928 (Extended Reality (XR) in 5G, Release 16) and TR 26.998 (Release 17, glass-type AR/MR devices) are the studies that anchor the 3GPP work; TR 26.998 defined the STAR (Stand-alone AR) and EDGAR (Edge-Dependent AR) device classes referenced throughout the later specifications. TS 26.119 (MeCAR, Media Capabilities for Augmented Reality) turns these into concrete, testable device capabilities. See the Technology page for the architecture analysis.
TS 26.565 (Release 18) defines a Media Service Enabler for Split Rendering, which covers functionality on the UE and on the Media AS (TS 26.565 V19.0.0 clause 1); EDGAR UEs are defined in TR 26.998 V19.0.0 clause 4.2.2.3. See the Technology page for the mechanism (SRC/SRS roles, the SWAP control protocol, WebRTC transport).
40 of 40 specifications
| Specification | Title | Layer |
|---|---|---|
| ISO/IEC 23090-14 | Coded representation of immersive media; Part 14: Scene descriptionsecond edition, ISO/IEC 23090-14:2025 (2025-11): the MPEG extensions to Khronos glTF 2.0, including AR anchoring, interactivity, avatars and lighting in clause 8, support for MPEG-I media in annex G.1 and G.2 and haptics in annex G.3; Amendment 1 is a final draft (FDAM 1, 2026-05-01) | MPEG |
| Khronos glTF 2.0 | glTF - Runtime 3D Asset Deliverycurrent patch 2.0.1; the base format ISO/IEC 23090-14 (MPEG-I Scene Description) extends | Khronos |
| Khronos OpenXR | OpenXRcurrent version 1.1; the runtime API TS 26.119 (MeCAR) aligns the on-device client with | Khronos |
| ISO/IEC 23090-2:2023 | Information technology - Coded representation of immersive media - Part 2: Omnidirectional media formatthird edition; the multi-viewpoint/overlay/tiling feature set this site calls OMAFv2 was introduced in the second edition (2021) and carried into this one | MPEG |
| ISO/IEC 23090-5 | Information technology: Coded representation of immersive media - Part 5: Visual volumetric video-based coding (V3C) and video-based point cloud compression (V-PCC)shared with the MPEG V3C Immersive Platform reference tools; see src/data/specs/v3c.js for the same citation | MPEG |
| ISO/IEC 23090-4:2025 | Information technology - Coded representation of immersive media - Part 4: Immersive audiothe "MPEG-I immersive audio" the scene description page names in prose without a document number -- this identification is an inference from that prose, not an explicit page citation | MPEG |
| TS 26.501 | 5G Media Streaming (5GMS); General description and architectureUnder change control; WG S4 | Delivery |
| TS 26.512 | 5G Media Streaming (5GMS); ProtocolsUnder change control; WG S4 | Delivery |
| TS 26.506 | 5G Real-time Media Communication Architecture (Stage 2)Under change control; WG S4 | Delivery |
| TR 23.700-23 | Study on Application enabler for XR ServicesUnder change control; WG S6 | Use cases |
| TR 23.700-60 | Study on XR (Extended Reality) and media servicesUnder change control; WG S2 | Use cases |
| TR 23.700-70 | Study on architecture enhancement for Extended Reality and Media service (XRM); Phase 2Under change control; WG S2 | Use cases |
| TR 26.862 | Immersive Teleconferencing and Telepresence for Remote Terminals (ITT4RT) Use Cases, Requirements and Potential SolutionsUnder change control; WG S4 | Use cases |
| TR 26.928 | Extended Reality (XR) in 5GUnder change control; WG S4 | Use cases |
| TR 26.930 | Study on the enhancement for Immersive Real-Time communication for WebRTCUnder change control; WG S4 | Use cases |
| TR 26.998 | Support of 5G Glass-type Augmented Reality / Mixed Reality (AR/MR) devicesUnder change control; WG S4 | Use cases |
| TR 38.835 | NR; Study on XR enhancements for NRUnder change control; WG R2 | Radio |
| TR 38.838 | Study on XR (Extended Reality) Evaluations for NRUnder change control; WG R1 | Radio |
| TS 26.249 | Immersive Audio for Split Rendering Scenarios; Detailed Algorithmic Description of Split Rendering FunctionsUnder change control; WG S4 | Split rendering |
| TR 26.865 | Immersive Audio for Split Rendering Scenarios; RequirementsUnder change control; WG S4 | Split rendering |
| TS 26.119 | Device Media Capabilities for Augmented Reality Servicescalled "MeCAR" by the tech deep-dive page, which describes it as aligning the on-device client with the Khronos OpenXR runtime API; under change control, WG S4 | Media capabilities |
| TS 26.143 | Messaging Media ProfilesUnder change control; WG S4 | Media capabilities |
| TS 26.565 | Split Rendering Media Service EnablerUnder change control; WG S4 | Media capabilities |
| TS 26.250 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); General overviewUnder change control; WG S4 | Codecs |
| TS 26.251 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); C code (fixed-point)Under change control; WG S4 | Codecs |
| TS 26.252 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); Test sequencesUnder change control; WG S4 | Codecs |
| TS 26.253 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); Detailed Algorithmic Description including RTP payload format and SDP parameter definitionsUnder change control; WG S4 | Codecs |
| TS 26.254 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); RenderingUnder change control; WG S4 | Codecs |
| TS 26.255 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); Error concealment of lost packetsUnder change control; WG S4 | Codecs |
| TS 26.256 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); Jitter Buffer ManagementUnder change control; WG S4 | Codecs |
| TS 26.258 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); C code (floating-point)Under change control; WG S4 | Codecs |
| TS 26.259 | Subjective test methodologies for the evaluation of immersive audio systemsUnder change control; WG S4 | Testing |
| TS 26.260 | Objective test methodologies for the evaluation of immersive audio systemsUnder change control; WG S4 | Testing |
| TS 26.261 | Terminal audio quality performance requirements for immersive audio servicesUnder change control; WG S4 | Testing |
| TS 26.566 | Immersive Audio for Split Rendering ScenariosDraft; WG S4 | Testing |
| TR 26.861 | Investigations on test methodologies for immersive audio systemsUnder change control; WG S4 | Testing |
| TR 26.866 | Immersive Audio for Split Rendering Scenarios; Performance characterizationDraft; WG S4 | Testing |
| TR 26.926 | Traffic Models and Quality Evaluation Methods for Media and XR Services in 5G SystemsUnder change control; WG S4 | Testing |
| TR 26.996 | Immersive Audio for Split Rendering Scenarios; Performance characterizationUnder change control; WG S4 | Testing |
| TR 26.997 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); Performance characterizationUnder change control; WG S4 | Testing |
Note: TS 26.249 (split rendering) and TS 26.566 carry similar but distinct titles, and TR 26.866 and TR 26.996 share the same title on the 3GPP portal; this is portal data, not a transcription error.
Specifications by layer
XR delivery over 5G is built from four layers of standardisation. For how they fit together, see MPEG-I Scene Description and glTF 2.0 extensions and the Technology page.
| Layer | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Scene and media formats (MPEG) | ISO/IEC 23090-14 (Scene Description); ISO/IEC 23090-5 (V3C/MIV) |
| Delivery (3GPP SA4) | TS 26.501, TS 26.512 (5GMS); TS 26.506 (RTC) |
| Device and media capabilities (3GPP SA4) | TR 26.928, TR 26.998; TS 26.119 (MeCAR); TS 26.565 (split rendering) |
| Radio and system (3GPP RAN and SA2) | TR 38.835, TR 38.838; 23.700-series |
Scene description: ISO/IEC 23090-14
ISO/IEC 23090-14 is Part 14 of the MPEG-I suite (ISO/IEC 23090, Coded representation of immersive media). It extends the Khronos glTF 2.0 format (itself published as ISO/IEC 12113) with a set of MPEG extensions that add external and timed media, buffering, spatial audio, anchoring, interactivity, avatars, lighting and haptics.
5G-MAG reads the second edition, ISO/IEC 23090-14:2025, published 2025-11. Its foreword states: "This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO/IEC 23090-14:2023), which has been technically revised." and "It also incorporates the Amendment ISO/IEC 23090-14/Amd 1:2023." The main changes are listed as "addition of the support of MPEG-I immersive media codecs, AR anchoring, interactivity, avatar, lighting and MPEG-I haptics". The edition defines extensions for external and timed media, circular buffers, scene updates, video textures, mesh linking, spatial audio, recommended viewports and animation timing (clause 5), carriage in ISO base media files (clause 7), and AR anchoring, interactivity, avatars and lighting (clause 8); annex G defines the support for MPEG-I media (G.1 MPEG_primitive_V3C, G.2 MPEG_sampler_YCbCr) and haptics (G.3). The Media Access Function and buffer interfaces are in clause 6.
Amendment 1 to this edition, "Support of MPEG-I audio, scene understanding and other extensions", is at final draft stage (ISO/IEC 23090-14:2025/FDAM 1, dated 2026-05-01). TS 26.143 V19.1.0 lists the AR, interactivity, avatar, lighting and haptics support among its normative references as "ISO/IEC 23090-14 AMD 2".
For the editions and amendments, see Release history.
For the extension-by-extension model and the MAF/Presentation Engine architecture, see the Technology page on MPEG-I Scene Description and glTF 2.0 extensions.
Release by release
Work items are the activities that produce the technical reports (TR) and specifications (TS) listed above. The tables below group the XR work items by 3GPP Release, newest first. What each work item adds, with the release description clause, is in the Release history.
Release 20
Release 20 (work plan of 28 September 2026). The WG column is the group named in the work plan row.
| Work Item | Acronym | Title | Rel | WG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1130007 | AvCall_Ph2-MED | Avatar Communications phase 2 | Rel‑20 | S4 |
| 1100020 | XRM_Ph3-APP | Application enabler for XR Services Phase 3 | Rel‑20 | S6 |
| 1070026 | FS_XRM_Ph3_APP | Study on Application enabler for XR Services Phase 3 | Rel‑20 | S6 |
| 1070033 | Metaverse_Ph2-APP | Stage 2 for mobile metaverse services Phase 2 | Rel‑20 | S6 |
| 1081089 | NR_XR_Ph4-Core | Core part: XR (eXtended Reality) for NR Phase 4 | Rel‑20 | R2 |
Release 19
| Work Item | Acronym | Title | Rel | WG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1040022 | FS_ARSpatial | Study on Spatial Computing for AR Services | Rel‑19 | S4 |
| 1070056 | AvCall-MED | Avatar Communications in AR Calls | Rel‑19 | S4 |
| 1030003 | SR_IMS | Split rendering over IMS | Rel‑19 | S4 |
| 1060021 | 5G_RTP_Ph2 | 5G Real-time Transport Protocol Configurations, Phase 2 | Rel‑19 | S4 |
| 1040032 | XRM_Ph2 | Extended Reality and Media service (XRM) Phase 2 | Rel‑19 | S2 |
| 1020098 | NR_XR_Ph3 | XR (eXtended Reality) for NR Phase 3 | Rel‑19 | R2 |
Release 18
| Work Item | Acronym | Title | Rel | WG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 940068 | FS_XRM | Study on architecture enhancement for XR and media services | Rel‑18 | S2 |
| 940087 | FS_NR_XR_enh | Study on XR (eXtended Reality) enhancements for NR | Rel‑18 | R2 |
| 950012 | FS_eiRTCW | Study on immersive Real-time Communication for WebRTC Phase 2 | Rel‑18 | S4 |
| 950014 | iRTCW | Immersive Real-time Communication for WebRTC | Rel‑18 | S4 |
| 950013 | FS_SmarTAR | Study on Smartly Tethering AR Glasses | Rel‑18 | S4 |
| 950015 | MeCAR | Media Capabilities for Augmented Reality | Rel‑18 | S4 |
| 960042 | IBACS | IMS-based AR Conversational Services | Rel‑18 | S4 |
| 960044 | GA4RTAR | Generic architecture for RT and AR/MR | Rel‑18 | S4 |
| 960045 | SR_MSE | Split Rendering Media Service Enabler | Rel‑18 | S4 |
| 960046 | 5G_RTP | Real-time Transport Protocol Configurations | Rel‑18 | S4 |
| 960049 | FS_ARMRQoE | Study on AR and MR QoE Metrics | Rel‑18 | S4 |
| 960050 | FS_Audio_5GSTAR | Study on Audio Aspects for Glasses-type AR/MR Devices | Rel‑18 | S4 |
| 990110 | XRM | Architecture Enhancements for XR (Extended Reality) and media service | Rel‑18 | S2 |
| 981039 | NR_XR_enh | XR (eXtended Reality) enhancements for NR | Rel‑18 | R2 |
| 990025 | ISAR | Immersive Audio for Split Rendering Scenarios | Rel‑18 | S4 |
| 870013 | FS_XRTraffic | Traffic Models and Quality Evaluation Methods for Media and XR Services in 5G Systems | Rel‑18 | S4 |
Release 17
| Work Item | Acronym | Title | Rel | WG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 860062 | FS_NR_XR_eval | Study on XR (Extended Reality) evaluations for NR | Rel‑17 | R1 |
| 820003 | ITT4RT | Support of Immersive Teleconferencing and Telepresence for Remote Terminals | Rel‑17 | S4 |
Release 16
| Work Item | Acronym | Title | Rel | WG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 810006 | FS_5GXR | Study on eXtended Reality (XR) in 5G | Rel‑16 | S4 |
| 840000 | VRQoE | VR QoE metrics | Rel‑16 | S4 |
Release 15
| Work Item | Acronym | Title | Rel | WG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 770025 | VRStream | Virtual Reality Profiles for Streaming Media | Rel‑15 | S4 |
Related
- XR Media & 3D Scenes: Release history
- XR Media & 3D Scenes: Technology
- Conversational Avatar Communication: Specifications
- Volumetric Video Experiences: Specifications
- Beyond 2D Video Experiences: Specifications
- Real-time Media Communication (RTC): Specifications
- Standardisation: how 5G-MAG submits feedback and requirements to SDOs