I know I won't get a real good answer for this one but I was just wondering of how much in the current set of 3GPP specs is no longer used at all anymore and, even more interesting, how many features and options specified over many years never made it to real networks!? With tons of features specified in each new release and only a few really used, I assume it should be a sizable percentage.
Why I care? Well, when reading the specs it's often not only difficult to interpret what is written but also if what you are just trying to figure out already is or will be used on day. Is this the price to pay for having one system to which (almost) everyone contributes to? What do you think?
no idea. but my gut tells me 60% not used :). there are several topics like dare i say it ims???
Honestly, I think that this is a question a lot of us are wrestling with lately. And the easiest answer I have is, “Most of the specs are deprecated, and very little will see wide acceptance in a production-grade network.”
I know of a few companies that are working toward full 3GPP compliance in a lab environment, but the cost of development, especially with costly legacy equipment, makes it prohibitive network-wide.
I think vendor support of 3GPP has been spotty, at best, with proprietary protocols and solutions becoming a more commonplace in real-world network elements.
I am still waiting to see what develops over the next year or so, but I think we’re moving farther away from the 3GPP goals.
The IP issue has certainly amplified 3GPP standard bloat – exactly to the point you describe. It must be a nightmare for a newcomer to implement, but maybe that’s the point!