Description
The Service Enabler Architecture Layer for Verticals (SEAL) is a comprehensive framework defined by 3GPP to facilitate the development and deployment of services for various industry verticals such as automotive (V2X), IoT, drones, and industrial automation. It is not a single network function but a layered architecture comprising a set of common service enablers that expose standardized Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to vertical applications. SEAL sits above the core network functions and abstracts the underlying 3GPP network capabilities, providing a unified and simplified interface for service developers. Key components of the SEAL architecture include enablers for Group Management, Configuration Management, Identity Management, Location Management, Network Resource Management, and the SEAL Data Delivery (SEALDD) function. These enablers work in concert; for example, the Group Management enabler allows an application to define a logical group of UEs (like all drones in a fleet), and the Location Management enabler can then provide the positions of all members in that group. SEAL operates by receiving requests from vertical applications via its northbound APIs, then orchestrating the necessary interactions with 3GPP network functions (like NEF, UDM, GMLC) or other SEAL enablers to fulfill the request. It handles aspects like service authorization, policy enforcement, and data transformation. Its role is to act as a middleware that hides the heterogeneity and complexity of network interfaces, enabling verticals to innovate rapidly without deep telecommunications expertise, while ensuring efficient, secure, and reliable use of 3GPP network assets.
Purpose & Motivation
SEAL was created in 3GPP Release 16 to address a critical gap in the 5G ecosystem: the difficulty for vertical industries to leverage advanced 3GPP network capabilities. Prior to SEAL, verticals had to engage in complex, point-to-point integrations with various network functions (e.g., NEF, SCEF), leading to fragmented, non-interoperable solutions and slow time-to-market. The proliferation of vertical-specific architectures (like for V2X) also risked creating silos. The primary purpose of SEAL is to provide a unified, standardized, and reusable layer of common service enablers that are agnostic to specific verticals. This solves the problems of integration complexity, lack of interoperability, and redundant development efforts. By offering a consistent set of APIs for common needs like group communication, location, and device management, SEAL significantly lowers the barrier to entry for vertical application providers. It was motivated by the 5G vision of enabling a diverse range of services beyond mobile broadband, ensuring that the network can be efficiently exposed and monetized while giving verticals the tools they need to build scalable, reliable services.
Classification
Release Timeline
Detected Changes Across Releases
from 3GPP Change RequestsSpecific changes extracted from the „Change history“ tables of 3GPP specifications (87 CRs across 5 releases). Complements the general historical overview above with the evidence-based evolution of this function.
In Release 16, the SEAL (Service Enabler Architecture Layer for Verticals) function introduced new procedures and interfaces for group and location management. Specifically, it added SIP-based subscribe/notify procedures for SEAL group management and defined new APIs and XML schemas for SEAL location management, including a location reporting configuration procedure. The release also included corrections and updates to the SEAL group configuration and the service-based interface representation of the SEAL functional model.
- SIP based subscribe/notify procedures for SEAL group management TS 24.544CR0001
- Adding IANA registration template for SEAL group document TS 24.544CR0005
- IANA registration template of SEAL location management TS 24.545CR0001
- XML scheme for location reporting configuration procedure for SEAL location management TS 24.545CR0005
- Change of service-based interface representation of the functional model for SEAL TS 23.434CR0006
- SEAL APIs corrections TS 23.434CR0014
+ 3 more changes
In Release 17, the SEAL function introduced new services including a Location Deviation Service and an Event Monitoring Service, and enhanced its capabilities to better integrate with 5G Core networks for group management. It also expanded protocol support by adding CoAP with associated security profiling and enabled the use of the Network Exposure Function (NEF) for location services. Furthermore, the release provided new APIs for network slice capability management and refined existing ones, such as supporting the PATCH method for updating location reporting configurations.
- SEAL support for CoAP TS 23.434CR0051
- SEAL Location Deviation Service TS 23.434CR0056
- SEAL Event Monitoring Service TS 23.434CR0057
- SEAL enable 5G CN capabilities for SEAL groups TS 23.434CR0065
- SEAL Location Deviation Service Information flows and APIs TS 23.434CR0066
- Utilize NEF location service for SEAL LM TS 23.434CR0076
+ 20 more changes
In Release 18, the SEAL function introduced new services including a Notification Management service with its functional model and procedures, and enhanced its architecture by adding the SEALDD (SEAL Data Delivery) enabler and the SEAL-3P reference point. The release also expanded SEAL capabilities with new GMS (Group Management Service) features and integrated SEAL services with the EEL (Edge Enabler Layer). Furthermore, it defined security aspects for SEAL Data Delivery and for network domain interfaces, while also addressing interactions with legacy and non-3GPP Message Gateways.
- SEAL Notification Management service – Functional Model TS 23.434CR0104
- SEAL Notification Management service – Information Flows and Procedures TS 23.434CR0105
- Update to SEAL architecture to include SEALDD TS 23.434CR0129
- Add SEAL-3P reference point TS 23.434CR0218
- SEAL NRM determines time synchronization activation for TSC stream TS 23.434CR0223
- add new SEAL GMS capabilities TS 24.538CR0033
+ 24 more changes
In Release 19, the SEAL function was expanded with new architectural requirements and valued location services for its Location Management Service (LMS), and introduced functional requirements and business relationship definitions for satellite connectivity. It also added new services such as AIMLE and ADAE, provided updates for metaverse services, and introduced Digital Asset APIs, while clarifying interactions between SEAL clients on constrained and unconstrained UEs.
- Add new architectural requirements for SEAL LMS TS 23.434CR0324
- Add valued location services functions for SEAL LMS TS 23.434CR0326
- Add SEAL functional requirements for satellite connectivity TS 23.434CR0331
- SEAL updates for metaverser services TS 23.434CR0333
- Add the business relationship for SEAL deployment with satellite connectivity TS 23.434CR0363
- UAE-layer/SEAL/LMS assisted NTZ enforcement TS 24.257CR0054
+ 14 more changes
In Release 20, the SEAL (Service Enabler Architecture Layer for Verticals) function introduced new specifications for its client-side deployment options and defined the business relationship involving the SEAL client provider. This provided clearer architectural guidance on how SEAL clients, such as those for location or group management, are deployed and provisioned within vertical applications like UAS.
Explore further
Broader topics and technologies where SEAL plays a role.
Defining Specifications
3GPP specifications that define or reference SEAL, with the latest known release. Sourced from the 3GPP document catalog — see methodology.
| Specification | Title | Release |
|---|---|---|
| TS 23.255 vj50 | UAS Application Layer Support | Rel-19 |
| TS 23.433 vk00 | SEAL Data Delivery (SEALDD) for Verticals | Rel-20 |
| TS 23.434 vk00 | Service Enabler Architecture for Verticals | Rel-20 |
| TS 23.438 vk10 | SEAL Digital Asset Service for Metaverse | Rel-20 |
| TS 23.482 vk00 | AIML Enablement Service Architecture | Rel-20 |
| TS 23.554 vj70 | MSGin5G Service Application Architecture | Rel-19 |
| TS 23.558 vk00 | Architecture for Edge Applications | Rel-20 |
| TS 23.700 vk00 | XR Services Application Enablement Layer | Rel-20 |
| TR 23.745 vh00 | Study on App Layer Support for Factories of the Future in 5G | Rel-17 |
| TS 24.257 vj40 | UAS Application Enabler (UAE) Layer | Rel-19 |
| TS 24.486 vj00 | V2X Application Enabler (VAE) Protocol Spec | Rel-19 |
| TS 24.538 vj30 | MSGin5G Service Protocol Specification | Rel-19 |
| TS 24.542 vj00 | SEAL Notification Management Protocol | Rel-19 |
| TS 24.543 vj50 | SEAL Data Delivery Management Protocol | Rel-19 |
| TS 24.544 vj00 | SEAL Group Management Protocol | Rel-19 |
| TS 24.545 vj40 | SEAL Location Management Protocol Specification | Rel-19 |
| TS 24.546 vj10 | SEAL Configuration Management Protocol Specification | Rel-19 |
| TS 24.547 vj00 | SEAL Identity Management Protocol | Rel-19 |
| TS 24.548 vj10 | SEAL Network Resource Management Protocol | Rel-19 |
| TS 24.549 vj10 | SEAL Network Slice Capability Enablement Protocol | Rel-19 |
| TS 24.550 vj00 | Metaverse Enablement Services Protocol | Rel-19 |
| TS 24.558 vj50 | Edge Enabler APIs Stage 3 | Rel-19 |
| TS 24.559 vj41 | Application Data Analytics Enablement Services | Rel-19 |
| TS 24.560 vj00 | AIML Enablement (AIMLE) Services Stage 3 Protocol | Rel-19 |
| TS 26.531 vj00 | Data Collection & Reporting Architecture for 5G | Rel-19 |
| TS 26.804 vj10 | 5G Media Streaming Extensions Study | Rel-19 |
| TR 26.857 vi00 | Technical Report on Media Service Enablers | Rel-18 |
| TS 28.879 vj10 | OAM for Service Management Exposure Study | Rel-19 |
| TS 29.435 vj20 | SEAL NSCE Server Services Stage 3 | Rel-19 |
| TS 29.482 vj00 | SEAL AIMLE Services Stage 3 Protocol | Rel-19 |
| TS 29.548 vj40 | SEAL Data Delivery Server Services Stage 3 | Rel-19 |
| TS 29.549 vj40 | SEAL API Specification for Vertical Applications | Rel-19 |
| TS 29.558 vj40 | Enabling Edge Applications | Rel-19 |
| TS 29.561 vj30 | 5G Interworking with External Data Networks | Rel-19 |
| TS 33.434 vj00 | Security aspects of SEAL for verticals | Rel-19 |
