3GP is a multimedia container developed by Third Generation Partnership Project in 1998 for GSM-based (Global System for Mobile Communications) phones. The container requires little bandwidth, storage space and data usage that is why it is ideal for cell phones. It is a standard container for the files sent using MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service).

This format was originally created as an alternative to mp3. The idea was to achieve a small file size with better sound quality. The first versions weren’t quite successful, but with the development of AAC, it became possible to store sound with less loss of quality, and with the same file sizes as that of mp3.