ETSI TR 121 900 V15.0.0 (2018-06)

ETSI TR 121 900 V15.0.0 (2018-06)






TECHNICAL REPORT
Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+) (GSM);
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS);
LTE;
Technical Specification Group working methods
(3GPP TR 21.900 version 15.0.0 Release 15)

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3GPP TR 21.900 version 15.0.0 Release 15 1 ETSI TR 121 900 V15.0.0 (2018-06)



Reference
RTR/TSGS-0021900vf00
Keywords
GSM,LTE,UMTS
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3GPP TR 21.900 version 15.0.0 Release 15 2 ETSI TR 121 900 V15.0.0 (2018-06)
Intellectual Property Rights
Essential patents
IPRs essential or potentially essential to normative deliverables may have been declared to ETSI. The information
pertaining to these essential IPRs, if any, is publicly available for ETSI members and non-members, and can be found
in ETSI SR 000 314: "Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs); Essential, or potentially Essential, IPRs notified to ETSI in
respect of ETSI standards", which is available from the ETSI Secretariat. Latest updates are available on the ETSI Web
server (https://ipr.etsi.org/).
Pursuant to the ETSI IPR Policy, no investigation, including IPR searches, has been carried out by ETSI. No guarantee
can be given as to the existence of other IPRs not referenced in ETSI SR 000 314 (or the updates on the ETSI Web
server) which are, or may be, or may become, essential to the present document.
Trademarks
The present document may include trademarks and/or tradenames which are asserted and/or registered by their owners.
ETSI claims no ownership of these except for any which are indicated as being the property of ETSI, and conveys no
right to use or reproduce any trademark and/or tradename. Mention of those trademarks in the present document does
not constitute an endorsement by ETSI of products, services or organizations associated with those trademarks.
Foreword
This Technical Report (TR) has been produced by ETSI 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).
The present document may refer to technical specifications or reports using their 3GPP identities, UMTS identities or
GSM identities. These should be interpreted as being references to the corresponding ETSI deliverables.
The cross reference between GSM, UMTS, 3GPP and ETSI identities can be found under
http://webapp.etsi.org/key/queryform.asp.
Modal verbs terminology
In the present document "should", "should not", "may", "need not", "will", "will not", "can" and "cannot" are to be
interpreted as described in clause 3.2 of the ETSI Drafting Rules (Verbal forms for the expression of provisions).
"must" and "must not" are NOT allowed in ETSI deliverables except when used in direct citation.
ETSI

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3GPP TR 21.900 version 15.0.0 Release 15 3 ETSI TR 121 900 V15.0.0 (2018-06)
Contents
Intellectual Property Rights . 2
Foreword . 2
Modal verbs terminology . 2
Foreword . 5
Introduction . 5
1 Scope . 6
1A References . 6
2 Definitions and abbreviations . 6
3 General responsibilities of the Support Team . 7
3.1 Specifications, meetings and liaisons . 7
3.2 Registration of code points . 7
4 Handling of Specifications . 8
4.0 Numbering scheme . 8
4.0A Version nomenclature . 11
4.0B Releases . 11
4.1 Overview . 12
4.1.1 General . 12
4.1.2 Role of the rapporteur . 13
4.2 Characteristics of a specification . 13
4.3 Characteristics of a major version of a specification . 14
4.4 Characteristics of a version of a specification . 15
4.5 (void) . 15
4.6 Change Request regime . 15
4.6.1 Change Requests . 15
4.6.2 Change Request forms . 16
4.6.3 Contents of Change Requests . 18
4.6.4 Handling of the Change Requests . 18
4.6.5 Updating and release of new versions of the specifications . 19
4.6.6 Other changes to specifications . 19
4.7 "Freezing" of specifications . 19
4.8 "Closing" of specifications . 20
4.9 "Withdrawing" of specifications . 20
4.9A "Withdrawing" of functionality . 20
4.9B Procedure for withdrawing of specifications and functionality . 20
4.9B.2 Diligent assessment. 20
4.9B.3 Changes to affected specifications . 20
4.9B.4 Considerations for ongoing maintenance, enhancement and new Release versions of specifications . 21
4.10 Release control . 21
4.10.1 Creation of a new Release version of a specification . 21
4.10.1.1 With no technical changes compared to the previous Release . 21
4.10.1.2 When introducing technical changes . 21
4.10.1.3 Specifications not propagated to next Release . 21
4.10.2 Mirror Change Requests . 21
4.10.3 Release mechanisms . 22
4.10.3.1 Corrections to Releases . 22
4.10.3.2 New features . 23
4.10.3.3 Release naming . 23
4.10.3.4 Introduction of features into Releases . 23
4.10.3.5 Early implementation of features . 24
5 Availability and distribution of specifications . 24
5A File naming conventions . 25
ETSI

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3GPP TR 21.900 version 15.0.0 Release 15 4 ETSI TR 121 900 V15.0.0 (2018-06)
6 Work Items . 26
6.0 Introduction . 26
6.0.1 Introduction: why manage a project? . 26
6.0.2 How to manage a project? . 26
6.0.3 Types of modifications to specifications . 28
6.1 Creation of a Work Item . 28
6.2 Type of Work Items . 29
6.3 Start and continuation of the work and responsibilities . 29
6.3.1 General . 29
6.3.2 Role of the rapporteur . 30
6.4 Realization of Work Items. 30
6.4.1 Planning and categorization of the deliverables (and control thereof) . 30
6.4.2 Choice of deliverables . 30
6.4.3 Contents of deliverables . 31
6.4.3.1 Service requirements . 31
6.4.3.2 Technical realization specifications . 31
6.4.3.3 Test specifications . 31
6.4.4 Early implementation . 31
6.4.5 Late completion . 32
6.5 Status tracking of Work Items . 32
6.6 Work Item model. 32
7 Management documents and tools . 33
7.1 Status List of Specifications . 33
7.2 Work Item Status List . 33
7.3 Change Request data base . 34
7.4 Mailing lists and Membership data bases . 34
7.5 Electronic tools used/preferred . 34
7.6 WEB and FTP services . 34
7.7 E-mail reflectors . 34
8 E-mail decisions . 34
8.1 E-mail drafting phase . 34
8.2 E-mail decision declaration . 35
8.3 Status reporting . 35
8.4 Decision announcement . 35
8.5 Timing . 35
8.6 General . 35
9 Meeting contribution document types and status values . 35
9.1 Terminology . 35
9.2 TDoc status values. 37
Annex A: Change history . 40
History . 43

ETSI

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3GPP TR 21.900 version 15.0.0 Release 15 5 ETSI TR 121 900 V15.0.0 (2018-06)
Foreword
rd
This Technical Specification has been produced by the 3 Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).
The contents of the present document are subject to continuing work within the TSG and may change following formal
TSG approval. Should the TSG modify the contents of the present document, it will be re-released by the TSG with an
identifying change of release date and an increase in version number as follows:
Version x.y.z
where:
x the first digit:
1 presented to TSG for information;
2 presented to TSG for approval;
3 or greater indicates TSG approved document under change control.
y the second digit is incremented for all changes of substance, i.e. technical enhancements, corrections,
updates, etc.
z the third digit is incremented when editorial only changes have been incorporated in the document.
Introduction
In order to ensure correctness and consistency of the specifications (i.e., technical specifications and technical reports)
rd
under responsibility of the Technical Specification Groups (TSG) of the 3 Generation Partnership Project (3GPP),
clear, manageable and efficient mechanisms are necessary to handle version control, change control, document
updating, distribution and management.
Also, the fact that the specifications are/will be implemented by industry almost in parallel with the writing of them
requires strict and fast procedures for handling of changes to the specifications.
It is very important that the changes that are brought into the standard, from the past, at present and in the future, are
well documented and controlled, so that technical consistency and backwards tracing are ensured.
The 3GPP TSGs, and their sub-groups together with the Support Team are responsible for the technical content and
consistency of the specifications whilst the Support Team alone is responsible for the proper management of the entire
documentation, including specifications, meeting documents, administrative information and information exchange with
other bodies.
ETSI

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3GPP TR 21.900 version 15.0.0 Release 15 6 ETSI TR 121 900 V15.0.0 (2018-06)
1 Scope
This document outlines the working methods to be used by the 3GPP Technical Specification Groups and their Working
Groups and their Sub-Groups, and by the 3GPP Support Team in relation to document management, i.e. handling of
specifications, updating procedures, Change Request procedures, version control mechanisms, specifications status
information etc. It complements the rules and procedures defined for 3GPP. This document does not stipulate the details
of the internal working of the TSG Sub-Groups. From the Technical Specification Group point of view, a task and
responsibility is given to a Working Group directly answering to the Technical Specification Group. In practice, the
work/task may be carried out in a subgroup of that Working Group.
1A References
The following documents contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of the present
document.
- References are either specific (identified by date of publication, edition number, version number, etc.) or
non-specific.
- For a specific reference, subsequent revisions do not apply.
- For a non-specific reference, the latest version applies. In the case of a reference to a 3GPP document (including
a GSM document), a non-specific reference implicitly refers to the latest version of that document in the same
Release as the present document.
[1] 3GPP TR 21.801: "Specification drafting rules".
[2] 3GPP TR 21.905: "Vocabulary for 3GPP Specifications".
[3] 3GPP TS 21.101: "Technical Specifications and Technical Reports for a UTRAN-based 3GPP
system".
[4] 3GPP TS 41.101: "Technical Specifications and Technical Reports for a GERAN-based 3GPP
system".
[5] ITU-T Recommendation I.130: "Method for the characterization of telecommunication services
supported by an ISDN and network capabilities of an ISDN".
2 Definitions and abbreviations
For the purposes of the present document, the following terms and those in 3GPP TR 21.905 [2] apply.
building block: sub-division of a feature, representing a coherent set of technical functionality which would generally
be expected to reside in a single system element.
change control: procedure whereby proposed modifications to a specification are presented for approval to the TSG as
formal Change Requests.
closed: specification status in which no changes of any kind to the specification are permitted.
Change Request (CR): formal proposal presented on a standard form to modify a specification which is under change
control.
draft: specification status prior to change control, in which changes may be made without formal Change Requests.
early implementation: implementation of a particular feature on a platform of a release earlier than the release that
contains the feature.
feature: new or substantially enhanced functionality which represents added value to the existing system.
frozen: specification status in which only essential corrections are permitted.
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3GPP TR 21.900 version 15.0.0 Release 15 7 ETSI TR 121 900 V15.0.0 (2018-06)
functionality: normative text contained in one or more Technical Specifications, corresponding either to a feature or to
some portion of a feature.
Group: TSG or TSG Sub-Group.
major version: For version x.y.z of a specification, x is called the major version.
Example: For version 3.2.0 of a specification, the major version is 3.
specification: generic term standing for Technical Specification and Technical Report.
Study Item: type of Work Item which will conduct feasibility studies and will result in a Technical Report
TSG: Technical Specification Group.
TSG change control: specification status in which the Technical Specification Group is responsible for approval of
Change Requests.
TSG Sub-Group: Working Group or subgroup of a Working Group or of a Sub-Group.
Working Group (WG): official subgroup of a TSG reporting to that TSG.
WG Change Control: specification status in which the Working Group is responsible for agreeing Change Requests
for submission to the TSG for approval.
version: unique identifier in the form x.y.z for a specification at a given point in time.
Example: version 3.12.3.
withdrawn: specification status in which the given version of the specification no longer belongs to the appropriate set
of valid specifications.
Work Item (WI): description of an enhancement to a technical area, which may be categorized as Study Item, Feature,
Building Block or Work Task.
Work Item description (WID): description of a Work Item in a standard Work Item Description sheet.
work task: sub-division of a building block, representing a self-contained, well-scoped and well-scheduled item of
work.
3 General responsibilities of the Support Team
3.1 Specifications, meetings and liaisons
The Support Team is responsible for the management of the work of the TSGs. This includes editorship and
management of specifications once they have been put under TSG change control. It also includes preparation of and
support for the meetings (including meeting reports) of the TSGs and their Working Groups, and subgroups in
descending priority.
It furthermore includes liaison with other bodies and relevant groups and institutions.
3.2 Registration of code points
In the course of 3GPP's work, it will from time to time be necessary to register code points in protocols maintained by
bodies other than 3GPP, for example, Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) types registered with the Internet
Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA, http://www.iana.org/).
Wherever possible, registration of such code points shall be entrusted to the 3GPP Support Team rather than being
performed by an individual delegate. Since 3GPP is not a legally constituted entity, the Support Team shall register
such code points in the name of one of the Organizational Partners on behalf of all the Organizational Partners of 3GPP.
ETSI

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3GPP TR 21.900 version 15.0.0 Release 15 8 ETSI TR 121 900 V15.0.0 (2018-06)
4 Handling of Specifications
4.0 Numbering scheme
The specifications shall be numbered according to the following scheme:
3GPP TS aa.bbb (for Technical Specifications); or
3GPP TR aa.bbb (for Technical Reports).
The fields aa and bbb shall be selected according to the nature of the specification as given in tables 1 and 2. The
provisions of table 1 shall be strictly enforced, but those of table 2 should be used for guidance: it is acceptable to
deviate from these provisions for backwards compatibility or other reasons.
Table 1: Specification number ranges aa
ETSI

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3GPP TR 21.900 version 15.0.0 Release 15 9 ETSI TR 121 900 V15.0.0 (2018-06)
Range for Range for Range for Use Remarks
GSM up GSM UMTS
to and Release 4 Release
including onwards 1999
Release onwards
1999
01.bb 41.bbb 21.bbb Requirements specifications Often transient specifications containing
requirements leading to other specifications;
may become obsolete when technical
solutions have been fully specified; they could
then, e.g., be replaced by reports describing
the performance of the system, they could be
deleted without replacement, or be kept for
historical reasons but treated as background
material.
02.bb 42.bbb 22.bbb Service aspects Services, service features, building blocks or
platforms for services (a service feature or
service building block may provide certain
generic functionality for the composition of a
service, including the control by the user; a
platform may comprise one or more network
elements, e.g. UIM, mobile terminal, auxiliary
system to the core network etc.); also
appropriate stage 1 specifications; also reports
defining services which can be realized by
generic building blocks etc.
03.b
...