Description
Over The Air (OTA) in 3GPP refers to the mechanisms and procedures for the remote, wireless management of User Equipment (UE). This encompasses a broad range of functions, including firmware updates (FOTA), software updates (SOTA), application management, device configuration, and the provisioning of authentication credentials (e.g., for eSIM). The process is managed by network-based OTA platforms that communicate with the UE using standardized protocols over the cellular radio interface.
Architecturally, an OTA system involves several key components. The OTA server, operated by the mobile network operator (MNO), device manufacturer, or a service provider, hosts the update packages and manages the delivery campaigns. The UE contains an OTA client agent responsible for receiving notifications, downloading packages, verifying their integrity and authenticity (often using digital signatures), and executing the update process. Communication typically occurs via IP-based protocols (e.g., HTTPS) carried over the cellular data bearers. For critical updates like firmware, the process is carefully staged: the UE downloads the package, stores it in a secure partition, validates it, and then reboots into a secure mode to apply the update, ensuring robustness against power failure.
How it works involves a push or pull model. The server can initiate a session by sending a notification message to the UE (e.g., via SMS or a dedicated NAS transport). The UE then establishes a data connection to a specified URL to download the package. 3GPP specifications define security frameworks to protect OTA transactions, ensuring packages are not tampered with and only authorized servers can initiate updates. For RF performance testing, 'OTA' also refers to Over-the-Air radiated testing, where a device's total radiated power (TRP) and total isotropic sensitivity (TIS) are measured in an anechoic chamber. The provided definition, 'REFSENS RoAoA', is a specific OTA testing metric for determining a receiver's sensitivity contour relative to a reference direction, crucial for characterizing antenna performance in devices.
Purpose & Motivation
OTA technology was created to solve the massive logistical and cost problem of physically handling millions of devices for updates. Before OTA, fixing a software bug, patching a security vulnerability, or enabling a new network feature required users to bring devices to service centers or manually connect them to a computer, leading to poor update penetration and prolonged security risks.
3GPP standardized OTA procedures to enable efficient, scalable, and secure remote device management. This addresses critical operational needs: maintaining network compatibility as standards evolve (e.g., from 4G to 5G), rolling out critical security patches to protect the network and user data, and enabling new service features without hardware replacement. The motivation was to enhance the user experience, reduce support costs for operators and manufacturers, and ensure the long-term security and functionality of the massive ecosystem of cellular-connected devices. OTA is fundamental for the lifecycle management of everything from smartphones to IoT sensors.
Classification
Release Timeline
Detected Changes Across Releases
from 3GPP Change RequestsSpecific changes extracted from the „Change history“ tables of 3GPP specifications (79 CRs across 5 releases). Complements the general historical overview above with the evidence-based evolution of this function.
In Release 15, the OTA (Over The Air) specifications were significantly refined and expanded to support New Radio (NR). Key introductions included the addition of NR-specific OTA out-of-band blocking requirements and the formalization of the "OTA peak directions set" terminology, replacing previous accuracy descriptions. The release also focused on detailed corrections and cleanup for OTA reference sensitivity, demodulation branches, and spurious emissions testing to establish a robust framework for FR2 (mmWave) operation.
- CR to TS 37.105: Correction of the OTA blocking requirement (10.6.2.1) TS 37.105CR0097
- Addition of NR to of OTA out of band blocking requirements TS 37.105CR0100
- CR to TS 37.105: correction of the "EIRP accuracy directions set" into "OTA peak directions set" TS 37.105CR0109
- CR to TS 37.105: Text alignment for the OTA demodulation branches TS 37.105CR0112
- Cleanup to OTA requirements text TS 37.105CR0117
- CR to TS 37.105 - polarisation wording improvements for OTA s reference sensitivity TS 37.105CR0118
+ 15 more changes
In Release 16, the OTA (Over The Air) testing framework for NR base stations was significantly refined with clarifications and new test procedures. Key enhancements included specific definitions for the number of slots and uplink power control in MIMO OTA testing, along with the introduction of an OTA Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio (ACLR) requirement. The release also provided crucial clarifications on applying OTA receiver requirements for base stations supporting multiple polarizations.
- Number of Slots for NR MIMO OTA testing TS 38.827CR0004
- Uplink Power Control for NR MIMO OTA test TS 38.827CR0008
- Adding clarification of number of slots for FR1 MIMO OTA test TS 38.827CR0015
- CR to TS 37.105: Clarification on application of OTA receiver requirements for BS supporting polarization TS 37.105CR0158
- CR to TS 37.145-2: Clarification on application of OTA receiver requirements for BS supporting polarization TS 37.145CR0150
- CR to 37.145-2: OTA ACLR R16 (6.7.3) TS 37.145CR0200
+ 8 more changes
In Release 17, the Over-The-Air (OTA) function saw significant advancements in MIMO OTA performance testing and validation. Specifically, new MIMO OTA performance requirements were introduced, along with applicability rules and spatial correlation validation pass/fail limits for Frequency Range 1 (FR1). The release also addressed OTA aspects for Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) nodes by refining measurement uncertainties for timing errors between the IAB-DU and IAB-MT.
- Big CR to 38.151: Introduction MIMO OTA performance requirements (Rel-17, CAT B) TS 38.151CR0003
- CR on introduction of applicability rules for MIMO OTA requirements TS 38.151CR0022
- CR to TS 38.151 on FR1 MIMO OTA spatial correlation validation pass/fail limits TS 38.151CR0024
- CR to 38.151 on FR1 MIMO OTA MU TS 38.151CR0025
- (NR_MIMO_OTA-Core) Correction on the example inter-band band combination tables TS 38.151CR0029
- CR to TS 38.176-2 with bracket removal for measurement uncertainties for OTA timing error between IAB-DU and IAB-MT TS 38.176CR0017
+ 2 more changes
In Release 18, the Over The Air (OTA) function saw specific advancements in MIMO OTA testing and device positioning, particularly for Frequency Range 2 (FR2). New performance metrics and requirements were introduced for FR2 MIMO OTA, including clarifications for device positioning and the re-positioning concept during testing. Additionally, enhancements were made to demodulation testing procedures and test tolerances, while a new test method was defined for wider UE devices exceeding 72mm.
- CR to 38.151 on FR2 MIMO OTA FoM TS 38.151CR0032
- CR to 38.151 on MIMO OTA performance requirements TS 38.151CR0033
- CR to TS 38.151 on introduction of FR2 PC1 MIMO OTA performance metric TS 38.151CR0035
- Formal CR 38151 Clarification of UE positioning for FR1 MIMO OTA TS 38.151CR0040
- On FR2 MIMO OTA requirements TS 38.551CR0024
- Device Positioning for FR2 MIMO OTA Testing TS 38.551CR0031
+ 14 more changes
In Release 19, the OTA (Over The Air) function saw specific advancements in test methodologies and requirements, including new OTA test methods for XR (Extended Reality) and NTN (Non-Terrestrial Networks), as well as refinements to MIMO OTA channel models and performance requirements. The release also introduced clarifications and corrections for various OTA testing procedures, such as the re-positioning concept for FR2 MIMO OTA and the correction of units for OTA ACLR. Furthermore, it focused on test case reduction for specific requirements like out-of-band blocking and transmitter intermodulation (TX IM) to streamline testing.
- CR to TS 37.145-2 OTA test reduction for out-of-band blocking requirement TS 37.145CR0411
- CR to TS 38.141-2 OTA test reduction for out-of-band blocking requirement TS 38.141CR0682
- CR to TS 38.141-2 OTA test case reduction for TX IM requirement TS 38.141CR0700
- CR to 38.151 on FR1 MIMO OTA performance requirements TS 38.151CR0056
- CR to TS 38.161 on NTN OTA TS 38.161CR0028
- CR to TS 38.176-2 OTA test case reduction for TX IM requirement and OOBB requirement TS 38.176CR0099
+ 10 more changes
Explore further
Broader topics and technologies where OTA plays a role.
Defining Specifications
3GPP specifications that define or reference OTA, with the latest known release. Sourced from the 3GPP document catalog — see methodology.
| Specification | Title | Release |
|---|---|---|
| TS 22.811 v1700 | Network Selection Mechanisms Overview | Rel-7 |
| TS 23.875 v1500 | Feasibility Study for Push Services Architecture | Rel-5 |
| TR 23.981 vj00 | IPv4 IMS Interworking and Migration Study | Rel-19 |
| TS 25.144 vb20 | UE OTA Antenna Performance Requirements | Rel-11 |
| TS 26.851 vb20 | Enhancements to Multimedia (EMM) for PSS, MMS, MBMS | Rel-11 |
| TS 29.544 vj30 | Nspaf Service Based Interface (SP-AF) Stage 3 | Rel-19 |
| TS 31.131 vj00 | C Language Binding for (U)SIM API | Rel-19 |
| TS 33.303 vj00 | ProSe Security Specification for EPS | Rel-19 |
| TS 33.401 vj10 | EPS Security Architecture | Rel-19 |
| TR 33.834 vg10 | Long Term Key Update Procedures Study | Rel-16 |
| TR 33.841 vg10 | Security aspects; Study on 256-bit algorithms for 5G | Rel-16 |
| TS 34.114 vc20 | Radiated Performance Test Procedure for UE/MS | Rel-12 |
| TS 37.105 vj10 | AAS Base Station Transmission & Reception Requirements | Rel-19 |
| TS 37.144 vj00 | UE OTA Antenna Performance Requirements | Rel-19 |
| TS 37.145 vj10 | AAS Base Station Conducted Conformance Testing | Rel-19 |
| TS 37.544 vg70 | UE Radiated Performance Test Procedures | Rel-16 |
| TS 37.571 vj00 | UE Conformance for Positioning | Rel-19 |
| TS 38.101 vj31 | NR User Equipment Radio Transmissions | Rel-19 |
| TS 38.104 vj20 | NR Base Station RF Requirements | Rel-19 |
| TS 38.141 vj20 | NR Base Station RF Conformance Testing Part 1 | Rel-19 |
| TS 38.151 vj00 | NR UE MIMO OTA Performance Requirements | Rel-19 |
| TS 38.161 vj10 | NR UE TRP and TRS Requirements for FR1 | Rel-19 |
| TS 38.174 vj10 | NR Integrated Access and Backhaul Radio Spec | Rel-19 |
| TS 38.176 vj20 | IAB Conformance Testing Specification | Rel-19 |
| TS 38.521 vj20 | NR Physical Layer UE Conformance Testing | Rel-19 |
| TS 38.551 vi30 | User Equipment (UE) Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) Over-the-Air (OTA) performance | Rel-18 |
| TS 38.561 vj00 | UE Conformance for TRP/TRS FR1 | Rel-19 |
| TS 38.755 vj10 | NR FR1 DL Fragmented Carriers Study | Rel-19 |
| TS 38.761 vj00 | MIMO OTA Performance Measurements for UE | Rel-19 |
| TS 38.762 vj00 | Dynamic MIMO OTA Test Methodology for NR FR1 | Rel-19 |
| TS 38.771 vj00 | FR2-1 OTA Testing for STxMP UEs | Rel-19 |
| TS 38.793 vj00 | Simultaneous Rx/Tx Band Combinations TR | Rel-19 |
| TR 38.803 ve40 | Study on Coexistence and RF Feasibility for 5G NR | Rel-14 |
| TS 38.809 vg60 | IAB Radio Transmission & Reception Background | Rel-16 |
| TR 38.810 vg70 | NR OTA Test Methods Study | Rel-16 |
| TR 38.815 vf10 | NR Frequency Range 24.25-29.5 GHz Study | Rel-15 |
| TR 38.820 vg10 | NR; 7-24 GHz Frequency Range Study | Rel-16 |
| TS 38.827 vg80 | NR MIMO OTA Radiated Metrics & Test Methodology | Rel-16 |
| TR 38.834 vh20 | NR FR1 TRP/TRS Test Methodology | Rel-17 |
| TR 38.839 vh00 | Simultaneous Rx/Tx band combinations | Rel-17 |
| TR 38.847 vh20 | NR 47.2-48.2 GHz Frequency Range | Rel-17 |
| TR 38.849 vi50 | Technical Report | Rel-18 |
| TS 38.870 vj20 | Enhanced OTA Test Methods for NR FR1 TRP/TRS | Rel-19 |
| TR 38.871 vi20 | Technical Report | Rel-18 |
| TR 38.881 vi00 | Technical Report on Lower MSD for Inter-band CA/EN-DC/DC | Rel-18 |
| TR 38.884 vi20 | Technical Report | Rel-18 |
| TS 38.887 vg00 | NR Band n259 Specification (39.5-43.5 GHz) | Rel-16 |
| TR 38.894 vi00 | Technical Report | Rel-18 |
| TR 38.903 vj00 | Test Tolerances & Measurement Uncertainties | Rel-19 |
| TR 38.912 vj00 | Study on New Radio Access Technology | Rel-19 |
| TR 38.921 vj00 | IMT Parameters Study for 6.4-7.1 & 10-10.5 GHz | Rel-19 |
| TR 38.922 vj20 | Study on IMT Parameters for NR in Higher Bands | Rel-19 |
