3GPP releases for IoT devices, from LTE to 6G
★ At a glance · checked 5 Nov 2026
- The latest finished release is Rel-19 (completed 12 Dec 2025): Ambient IoT design work, a low-power wake-up signal and satellite evolution.
- Rel-20 (the last 5G-Advanced release, plus the 6G studies) is due to freeze in Mar 2027 and complete in Jun 2027.
- Rel-21 brings the first 6G specifications: stage 3 freezes in Dec 2028, ASN.1 in Mar 2029, so 6G devices come after 2029.
- For devices you ship now, the live IoT standards are LTE-M and NB-IoT (Rel-13/14) and 5G RedCap (Rel-17): check where each one is live, network by network, before you choose.
Lanes: what each release moved
Each dot is a release, placed at its completion date; tap one for its details. The dashed line is today.
The precise timeline
| Release | Completed | What it brought for IoT devices |
|---|---|---|
| Rel-21 | Mar 2029 (projected) | The first 6G specifications (IMT-2030): stage 1 Mar 2027, stage 2 Jun 2028, stage 3 Dec 2028, ASN.1 Mar 2029 |
| Rel-20 | Jun 2027 (projected) | Last 5G-Advanced release, and the 6G studies |
| Rel-19 | 12 Dec 2025 | Second 5G-Advanced release: Ambient IoT design work, a low-power wake-up signal, satellite evolution |
| Rel-18 | Jun 2024 | 5G-Advanced; eRedCap (5 MHz, lower peak rate); Ambient IoT study |
| Rel-17 | 10 Jun 2022 | 5G RedCap; satellite access (NR-NTN and IoT-NTN for LTE-M and NB-IoT) |
| Rel-16 | 3 Jul 2020 | 5G for industry: URLLC, industrial IoT, positioning; LTE-M and NB-IoT on the 5G core |
| Rel-15 | 7 Jun 2019 | 5G NR phase 1 (NSA and SA); wake-up signal for LTE-M and NB-IoT |
| Rel-14 | Jun 2017 | Cat-M2 and Cat-NB2; positioning for IoT; LTE-V2X |
| Rel-13 | 11 Mar 2016 | LTE-M (Cat-M1) and NB-IoT (Cat-NB1); extended DRX |
| Rel-12 | Mar 2015 | Cat 0 for low-cost IoT; power-saving mode (PSM) |
| Rel-11 | Mar 2013 | Coordinated multipoint; overload control for machine traffic |
| Rel-10 | 8 Jun 2011 | LTE-Advanced: carrier aggregation |
| Rel-9 | Mar 2010 | LTE refinements: positioning, broadcast (eMBMS) |
| Rel-8 | 12 Mar 2009 | LTE: the first 4G radio (OFDMA, all-IP core) |
What it means for devices you ship now
- Check LTE-M and NB-IoT network by network before you pick a module.
- Where 5G RedCap is commercial, and what a RedCap device needs from the network.
- When 2G and 3G switch off, country by country, with a countdown.
- Cat.1 and Cat.1 bis: the 4G option that works on every LTE network.
Sources
- A 3GPP Release 21: timeline agreed at the June 2026 plenaries (TSGs#112) 3GPP · Jun 2026
- A 3GPP Release 20: 5G-Advanced and the 6G studies (two releases to specify 6G) 3GPP · 2026
- A 3GPP Release 19: functional freeze Sep 2025 (SA#109), end date 12 Dec 2025 (SA#110); Release 20 projected Mar / Jun 2027 3GPP · Dec 2025
- A 3GPP releases and their dates (3GPP Portal, Releases tab) 3GPP · Nov 2026
Release dates are 3GPP end dates (completion); Rel-20 and Rel-21 are 3GPP projections and may still move. Compiled by Hyper Nexus Band Atlas.
