See also: working agreements.
Zipped Word version
(showing revision marks with respect to previous version)
These Working Procedures of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) are effective from 27 October 2006.
An electronic version of these Partnership Project Working Procedures is available from the following address:
http://www.3gpp.org
Foreword
SECTION A: GENERAL
Article 1: Description
Article 2: Purpose
Article 3: Scope and objectives
SECTION B: PARTICIPATION
Article 4: Categories
Article 5: Partnership
Article 6: Organizational Partnership
Article 7: Market Representation Partnership
Article 8: Individual Membership
Article 9: Termination of Individual Membership
Article 10: Observers and Guests
SECTION C: STRUCTURE
Article 11: Structure of 3GPP
SECTION D: PARTNERS’ COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
Article 12: Organizational Partners’ Collective Responsibilities
Article 13: Collective responsibilities of all Partners
SECTION E: PROJECT CO-ORDINATION GROUP (PCG)
Article 14: PCG tasks
Article 15: PCG participation
Article 16: PCG appointment of Chairman and Vice Chairman
Article 17: PCG Chairman Responsibilities
Article 18: PCG meetings
Article 19: PCG decision making
SECTION F: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION GROUPS
Article 20: TSG tasks
Article 21: TSG participation
Article 22: TSG and WG election of Chairman and Vice Chairman
Article 23: TSG Chairman responsibilities
Article 24: TSG and WG Chairman and Vice Chairmen dismissal
Article 25: TSG and WG decision making
Article 26: TSG and WG voting during a meeting
Article 27: TSG or WG voting by correspondence
Article 28: TSG or WG voting for the election of TSG or WG Chairman and Vice Chairman
Article 29: TSG or WG Chairman's decision appeal process
Article 30: TSG and WG meetings
Article 31: TSG and WG meeting invitation
Article 32: TSG and WG meeting agenda
Article 33: TSG and WG meeting registration
Article 34: TSG and WG meeting document and file naming
Article 35: TSG and WG Voting Membership List
Article 36: TSG Sub Working Groups
SECTION G: WORK PROGRAMME AND TECHNICAL CO-ORDINATION
Article 37: Work Programme
Article 38: Work Items
Article 39: Work Item creation
Article 40: Work Item adoption by PCG
Article 41: Work Item stopping
Article 42: Technical co-ordination
SECTION H: DELIVERABLES
Article 43: Deliverable types
Article 44: Approval process
Article 45: Drafting rules
Article 46: Copyright and ownership
Article 47: Conversion by Organizational Partners
SECTION I: REPORTING
Article 48: Chairman’s reporting obligations
Article 49: Changes to structure and officials
Article 50: Calendar of meetings
SECTION J: EXTERNAL RELATIONS
Article 51: Relationship with the ITU
Article 52: Relations with other groups
SECTION K: MISCELLANEOUS
Article 53: Resources
Article 54: Support Team
Article 55: Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy
Article 56: Working language
Article 57: Duration
Article 58: Review of activities
Article 59: Dissolution, winding up
Article 60: Amendments to 3GPP Working Procedures
Annex A: Definitions
Annex B: Abbreviations
Annex C: Individual member application form
Annex D: External Liaison Approval Process
Annex E: Guidance for MRP applicants
E.1......... Introduction
E.2......... Guidance
Annex F: Guidance on meeting organization
F.1......... Meeting classification
F.2......... Ordinary meetings
F.3......... Ad hoc meetings
Annex G: Change history
The Partnership Project is not a legal entity but is a collaborative activity between the following recognized Standards Development Organizations:
ARIB (Japan)
CCSA (China)
ETSI (Europe)
ATIS (US)
TTA (Korea)
TTC (Japan)
The Partnership Project is entitled the “THIRD GENERATION PARTNERSHIP PROJECT” and may be known by the acronym “3GPP”.
The purpose of 3GPP is to prepare, approve and maintain globally applicable Technical Specifications and Technical Reports for a 3rd Generation Mobile System based on the evolved GSM core network, and the Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), to be transposed by the Organizational Partners into appropriate deliverables (e.g., standards).
The 3rd Generation Mobile System and its capabilities shall be developed in a phased approach. Initially, 3GPP shall prepare, approve and maintain the necessary set of Technical Specifications and Technical Reports for a 3rd Generation Mobile System including:
· UTRAN (including UTRA; in Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) modes);
· 3GPP Core Network (Third Generation networking capabilities evolved from GSM. These capabilities include mobility management, global roaming, and utilisation of relevant Internet Protocols);
· Terminals for access to the above (including specifications for a UIM); and
· System and service aspects.
3GPP shall prepare, approve and maintain the necessary set of Technical Specifications and Technical Reports for:
- the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) including GSM evolved radio access technologies (e.g., General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)).
3GPP shall consider the long term evolution.
The Technical Specifications and Technical Reports shall be developed in view of global roaming and circulation of terminals.
The set of 3GPP Technical Specifications and Technical Reports for the 3GPP core network and the specifications for the GSM core network should be common to the greatest extent possible and should not be unnecessarily different.
Options in the form of a regulatory requirement particular to one or more regions / nations shall be included in 3GPP specifications. TSGs should not debate the inclusion or rejection of such options.
The results of the 3GPP work shall form the basis of member contributions to the ITU in accordance with existing procedures.
3GPP shall take account of emerging ITU recommendations on interworking between IMT-2000 family members.
In the framework of agreed relationships, the 3GPP Technical Specifications and Technical Reports will form the basis of standards, or parts of standards, of the Organizational Partners.
Participation in 3GPP shall be classified into one of the following categories:
· Partners;
· Individual Members;
· ITU Representatives;
· Observers;
· Guests.
Partners in 3GPP shall be classified into one of the following two categories:
· Organizational Partners;
· Market Representation Partners.
Organizational Partnership is open to any Standards Organization, irrespective of its geographical location, which has:
· a national, regional or other officially recognized status and the capability and authority to define, publish and set standards within the 3GPP scope, in that nation or region;
· an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy which is compatible with those of the Organizational Partners;
· committed itself to all or part of the 3GPP scope;
· signed the Partnership Project Agreement.
Standards Organizations may apply to become an Organizational Partner by writing to any of the existing Organizational Partners.
The Organizational Partners may invite Market Representation Partners to take part in 3GPP.
An invitation for Market Representation Partnership is open to any organization, irrespective of its geographical location, which:
· has the ability to offer market advice to 3GPP and to bring into 3GPP a consensus view of market requirements (e.g., services, features and functionality) falling within the 3GPP scope;
· does not have the capability and authority to define, publish and set standards within the 3GPP scope, nationally or regionally;
· has committed itself to all or part of the 3GPP scope;
· has signed the Partnership Project Agreement.
Organizations may apply to become Market Representation Partners by writing to any of the existing Partners. Further guidance for MRP applicants can be found in Annex E.
Membership in an Organizational Partner is a pre-requisite for Individual Membership of 3GPP. All entities registered as members of an Organizational Partner and eligible for participation in the technical work of that Organizational Partner, can become Individual Members of 3GPP if they are committed to support 3GPP and:
· to contribute technically or otherwise to one or more of the Technical Specification Groups within the 3GPP scope;
· to use the 3GPP results to the extent feasible.
An Individual Member has the right to participate in the work of 3GPP by attending meetings of the Technical Specification Groups and subtending groups.
Applications for Individual Membership of a Technical Specification Group shall be made in writing to the relevant Organizational Partner using the form given at Annex C. Applications may also be made on-line using the template available at http://www.3gpp.org.
Individual Members act in 3GPP in their own right and carry the full responsibility for their contributions.
Individual Membership of 3GPP may be terminated by dissolution, abolition, resignation or expulsion from the related Organizational Partner.
The status of Observer may be granted by the Organizational Partners to an entity which has the qualifications to become a future Partner.
An Observer may send a single representative to an Organizational Partners or PCG meeting. An Observer may also have representatives at TSG meetings. Representatives of Observers may receive documents and contribute documents for information, but shall not submit documents that propose changes to the specifications, reports, work item descriptions, work plan, or any other document under the control of the TSG. Observers shall not take part in decision making or hold any leadership positions.
Additional participation rights of an Observer shall be decided by the Organizational Partners on a case-by-case basis.
The status of Guest may be granted for a limited period, by the Organizational Partners to an entity which has the qualifications to become a future Individual Member. The limited period shall be decided by the Organizational Partners on a case-by-case basis.
A Guest may have representatives at TSG and subtending group meetings. Representatives may receive documents but shall not take part in decision making, participate in discussions, contribute documents, or hold any leadership positions.
3GPP shall consists of a Project Co-ordination Group (PCG) and Technical Specification Groups (TSGs). The Technical Specification Groups may establish Working Groups if required.
The Organizational Partners may decide to call a meeting of the full 3GPP membership if required.
The Organizational Partners shall determine the general policy and strategy of 3GPP.
In addition the Organizational Partners shall perform the following tasks:
· approval and maintenance of the 3GPP scope;
· maintenance the Partnership Project Description;
· taking decisions on the creation or cessation of Technical Specification Groups, and approving their scope and terms of reference;
· approval of Organizational Partner funding requirements;
· allocation of human and financial resources provided by the Organizational Partners to the Project Co-ordination Group;
· acting as a body of appeal on procedural matters referred to them.
Organizational Partners and Market Representation Partners shall perform the following tasks:
· maintenance of the Partnership Project Agreement;
· approval of applications for 3GPP partnership;
· taking decisions relating to the dissolution of 3GPP.
The PCG shall perform the following tasks:
· appointment of PCG Chairman and Vice Chairmen;
· allocation of human and financial resources provided by Organizational Partners to TSGs;
· allocation of voluntary human and financial resources provided by Market Representation Partners and Individual Members;
· management of the 3GPP Support Team;
· handling of appeals from Individual Members on procedural matters referred to them;
· propose and approve modifications to the Partnership Project Working Procedures;
· handling of appeals from Individual Members on technical matters referred to them;
· determination of the overall time frame and manage overall work progress;
· final adoption of new and stopped work items proposed by the TSGs within the agreed 3GPP scope and objectives;
· when a work item is outside the scope of the 3GPP, and where a common global solution is desired, recommend how to achieve a global solution;
· appointment or dismissal of TSG Chairmen and Vice Chairmen, as proposed by TSGs based on election results. (The proposed candidate shall be appointed unless there are extraordinary reasons that prevent such an appointment, e.g., severe company or geographical imbalance within 3GPP. In such cases the TSG shall be requested to elect an alternative candidate. The decision not to appoint a candidate shall be made by consensus.);
· authorizing requests from the TSGs for approval to liaise with external organizations, and maintain a list of approved requests;
· maintenance of the register of Individual Members eligible to participate in 3GPP;
· maintenance of the register of IPR declarations relevant to 3GPP, received by the Organizational Partners.
The PCG may decide to call a meeting of the full 3GPP membership if required.
The following shall have a right to participate in the PCG:
· Typically, a maximum of five representatives of each Organizational Partner (not counting the Chairman and Vice-Chairmen);
· A maximum of three representatives of each Market Representation Partner. (MRPs are however urged to limit their participation to one representative wherever possible.);
· The Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of the TSGs as ex-officio members;
· A maximum of three ITU representatives;
· One representative of each Observer.
The PCG shall appoint their Chairman and Vice Chairmen from amongst the Organizational Partner representatives.
The Chairman and Vice Chairmen shall be appointed for a one year term of office.
The Chairman and Vice Chairmen shall normally serve one term of office. If no other candidates are available, the Chairman or Vice Chairmen may be appointed for a further term.
Successive Chairmen and Vice Chairmen should not be from the same Organizational Partner, the same region or from the same group of companies, unless no other candidate is available.
The PCG Chairman is responsible for the overall management of the co-ordination work within 3GPP.
The Chairman has the overall responsibility to ensure that the Partnership Project Agreement, Partnership Project Description and Partnership Project Working Procedures are followed.
The Chairman may nominate officials to assist in the work.
The Chairman may be assisted by the Support Team.
The Chairman may delegate tasks to the Vice Chairmen.
In performing his tasks, the Chairman and Vice Chairmen shall maintain strict impartiality and act in the interest of the 3GPP.
A meeting of the PCG shall be held at least twice per year.
At least thirty days before the due date, a calling notice, draft agenda and supporting documents shall be issued.
In any meeting of the PCG, the quorum required for decision making shall be 50% of the total number of Organizational Partners. Proxies shall not be permitted.
The PCG shall endeavour to reach consensus on all issues. The views and opinions of the Market Representation Partners and the Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of the TSGs shall be taken into account during the consensus building process. If consensus cannot be achieved, the Chairman can decide to take a vote. The vote may exceptionally be performed by a secret ballot if decided by the PCG.
Each Organizational Partner shall have one vote. A proposal shall be deemed to be approved if 71% of the votes cast are in favour. Abstentions or failure to submit a vote shall not be included in determining the number of votes cast.
The TSGs shall prepare, approve and maintain the 3GPP Technical Specifications and Technical Reports taking into account the market requirements provided by Market Representation Partners.
The TSGs shall also perform the following tasks:
· Propose to the PCG for appointment TSG Chairman and Vice Chairmen based on election results;
· Creation of TSG Working Groups and approval of their terms of reference;
· When a new Working Group is created, the appointment of TSG Working Group Convenor;
· Allocation of resources within the TSG;
· Allocation of voluntary human and financial resources provided by Market Representation Partners and Individual Members;
· Handling of appeals from Individual Members on technical matters;
· Preparation of a detailed time frame and management of detailed work progress;
· Management of work items;
· Technical Co-ordination;
· Proposal and approval of work items within the agreed scope and terms of reference of the TSG;
· Where a work item is outside the scope of the 3GPP, but a common global solution is desired, recommend an approach to the PCG;
· Assignment of work to Partners. (Specification development may be accomplished using various methods, including the assignment of work to Partners.);
· Maintenance of the list of Individual Members eligible to vote within the TSG (Voting Members).
The following shall have a right to participate in the TSGs:
· Representatives of members of participating Organizational Partners (i.e. Individual Members);
· Representatives of Organizational Partners;
· Representatives of Market Representation Partners;
· Representatives of Observers;
· Representatives of Guests.
The TSG Chairman and Vice Chairmen, to be proposed to the PCG for appointment, shall be elected by the Technical Specification Group from amongst the Individual Member representatives. Each TSG shall elect a maximum of three Vice Chairmen.
The Working Group Chairman and Vice Chairmen shall be elected by the Working Group from amongst the Individual Member representatives. Each Working Group shall elect a maximum of two Vice Chairmen.
A candidate for TSG or Working Group election shall provide a letter of support from the Individual Member that he/she represents. Nominations may be made up to the point when an election takes place.
The TSG Chairman and Vice Chairmen shall be appointed by the PCG on the proposal of the TSG.
The Chairman and the Vice Chairmen shall be appointed for a two year term of office. The Chairman and Vice Chairmen may offer themselves for election for a second consecutive term. Exceptionally, terms subsequent to the second consecutive term may be allowed, subject to the following:
There is no restriction on a Vice Chairman whose term of office is due to expire offering himself for the position of Chairman; neither is there any restriction on a Chairman whose term of office is due to expire offering himself as a Vice Chairman. There is no restriction of a retiring Chairman or Vice Chairman of one TSG or WG offering himself for election as either Chairman or Vice Chairman of any other TSG or WG.
Regular TSG elections shall be held every two years in the March time frame in odd numbered years.
Should the office of Chairman or Vice Chairman, of a TSG, become vacant for reasons other than expiration of term of office, a special election shall be conducted to fill the unexpired term. This special election shall be conducted at a regularly scheduled meeting of the TSG, and shall be announced in writing, at least 21 days in advance of the meeting.
When a special election is held to fill the office of Chairman, the announcement shall also indicate that there will be an election to fill the position of Vice Chairman in the case where the Vice Chairman may be elected to the office of Chairman. If at the special election the Vice Chairman is elected to the office of Chairman, that individual, to be proposed to the PCG for appointment, shall become Chairman immediately, the position of Vice Chairman shall be assumed vacant, and an election shall be held for the office of Vice Chairman.
A partial term of office does not count towards the two consecutive term limit.
Chairman and Vice Chairmen should not be from the same region, Organizational Partner, or from the same group of companies, unless no other candidate is available.
Successive Chairmen should not be from the same Organizational Partner, the same region or from the same group of companies, unless no other candidate is available. This does not apply to special/regular successive elections.
When a new TSG is established, the Organizational Partners shall appoint a convenor for the first two TSG meetings. The initial special election for TSG Chairman and Vice Chairmen shall take place at the second TSG meeting. The elected Chairman and Vice Chairman shall serve until the next regular TSG election. A partial term of office does not count towards the two consecutive term limit. When a new TSG Working Group is established, the TSG shall appoint a Convenor for the first two Working Group meetings. The initial election for Working Group Chairman and Vice Chairmen shall take place at the second Working Group meeting. The provisions of this paragraph may be overridden by consensus of the PCG where a new TSG is formed by the merger of existing TSGs; under these circumstances, the PCG shall establish a set of ad hoc rules for the creation of the new TSG.
If a TSG or Working Group Chairman or Vice Chairman changes the Individual Member that he/she represents (e.g., job change, merger or acquisition) during their term of office, a new letter of support shall be provided. If the change of company affiliation is due to a move to another company, then the decision for the Chairman or Vice Chairman to continue in office shall be made by consensus of the affected group. If consensus cannot be achieved, an election shall be held for the office.
At the Working Group level the election is for a two year term. At the TSG level the special election is for the unexpired term. A partial term of office does not count towards the two consecutive term limit. If the incumbent is elected, at the TSG or WG level, it is for the unexpired term and that term does count toward the term limit. If the change of affiliation is that of the Chairman, he shall select a Vice Chairman to determine consensus and if necessary to manage the election. If there is an election, the Vice Chairman managing the election should not be a candidate. When a Working Group Chairman is elected, this does not necessarily imply the re-election of Vice Chairmen unless their terms of office have expired.
The TSG Chairman is responsible for the overall management of the technical work within the TSG and its Working Groups. The Chairman has an overall responsibility to ensure that the activities of the TSG follow the Partnership Project Working Procedures.
The Chairman may nominate officials to assist in the work.
The Chairman may delegate tasks to the Vice Chairmen.
The Chairman may be assisted by the Support Team.
Recognizing the need to balance the requirement of rapid specification development with the limited resources of delegates, the Chairman should encourage a minimum number of meetings, especially parallel meetings, and maximize the use of electronic means to advance the work.
In performing TSG tasks, the Chairman shall maintain strict impartiality and act in the interest of 3GPP.
A secret ballot shall be taken for the proposal to dismiss a TSG or WG Chairman or Vice Chairman because of a failure to effectively perform their duties, if requested by 30% of the TSG or WG membership list. 71% of the votes cast are required to recommend dismissal.
The PCG shall dismiss a Chairman or Vice Chairman on the proposal of the TSG.
TSGs and WGs shall endeavour to reach consensus on all issues, including decisions on Technical Specifications and Technical Reports. Informal methods of reaching consensus are encouraged (e.g., a show of hands). If consensus cannot be achieved, the Chairman can decide to take a vote. The vote may exceptionally be performed by a secret ballot if decided by the TSG or WG. A vote may be conducted during a TSG or WG meeting or by correspondence.
A proposal shall be deemed to be approved if 71% of the votes cast are in favour. Abstentions or failure to submit a vote shall not be included in determining the number of votes cast.
It is the responsibility of the Chairman to ensure that questions to be voted upon are phrased in a positive yes/no manner, with 71% required to approve the question. Questions should not be phrased as the TSG shall not do something. Examples of appropriate questions are; Shall the TSG approve the Specification and send it to the SDOs? Shall the liaison be approved? Shall the new WI be approved? Shall the existing WI be stopped? If the issue is to choose option A or B, the question should be split into two questions, with the Chairman selecting the order. First, shall the TSG take option A as the way forward? If this question fails the second question is, shall the TSG take option B as the way forward?
Contributions on which decisions will be based should be made available in good time before each meeting. TSGs may establish informal guidelines for dealing with late contributions.
The following procedures apply for voting during a TSG or WG meeting:
· before voting, a clear definition of the issues shall be provided by the Chairman;
· Voting Members shall only be entitled to one vote;
· if a Voting Member has more than one representative present, only one representative may vote;
· each Voting Member may only cast the vote once;
· each Voting Member may carry proxy votes for up to five other Voting Members. All proxy votes shall be accompanied by a letter of authority from the authorising Voting Member. Proxies will not be taken into account when determining the quorum;
· the quorum required for voting during a TSG or WG meeting shall be 30% of the total number of Voting Member companies on the TSG or WG membership list;
· the result of the vote shall be recorded in the meeting report.
The following procedures apply for voting by correspondence:
· before voting, a clear definition of the issues shall be provided by the Chairman and disseminated to all on the TSG or WG membership list;
· Voting Members shall only be entitled to one vote;
· each Voting Member may only cast the vote once within the voting period;
· the voting period shall be 30 days;
· there are no quorum requirements;
· The result of the vote should be disseminated to the TSG or WG .
In the case where there is more than one candidate for TSG or WG Chairman or Vice Chairman, a secret ballot shall be used. For interpreting the result of the secret ballot the following procedure shall apply:
When, in the first ballot, no candidate has obtained 71% of the votes cast, a second ballot shall be held. In the second ballot, in cases where there are only two candidates, the candidate obtaining the higher number of votes is elected. In cases where there are more than two candidates, if none of them has obtained 71% of the votes, a third and final ballot shall be held among the two candidates who have obtained the highest number of votes in the second ballot. The candidate obtaining the higher number of votes in the third ballot is then elected.
The TSG or WG Chairman shall be responsible for the voting process and shall ensure that confidentiality is maintained.
An Individual Member of 3GPP who opposes a Chairman’s ruling on a vote taken within a TSG or WG may submit its case to the PCG for decision. In such cases the Individual Member shall also inform the relevant TSG or WG Chairman.
When a TSG or WG Chairman has made a ruling, his decision shall be taken as the basis for future operations, unless or until overturned by the PCG.
TSGs and WGs shall meet as necessary to complete their work within the prescribed timeframe. TSGs should endeavour to hold their meetings at the same time and place to assist in the overall co-ordination of the work.
Meeting locations should reflect the geographical diversity of the TSG and WG delegates.
Further information on meetings is given in Annex F.
The invitation to a TSG or WG meeting and the necessary logistical information shall be disseminated at least 21 days before the meeting to all on the TSG or WG membership list.
The draft agenda for a TSG or WG meeting shall be disseminated by the responsible Chairman to all on the TSG or WG membership list at least 21 days before a meeting. The draft agenda should indicate subject matters where voting may be required. The draft agenda shall indicate elections to be held (including known candidates).
Every delegate shall register on arrival at each TSG or WG meeting. Each delegate who represents an Individual Member shall declare the precise name of that Individual Member. A delegate may only register to represent one Individual Member.
Documents for a TSG or WG meeting shall follow a consistent numbering system as shown in the following example:
xminnzzzz
This numbering system has six logical elements:
1) x: a single letter corresponding to the TSG;
where x : R (Radio Access Network)
N (Core Network) [TSG closed March 2005]
S (Service and System Aspects)
T (Terminals) [TSG closed March 2005]
G (GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network)
C (Core network and Terminals)
2) m A single character corresponding to the Working Group identity (typically 1, 2, 3, etc) or, in the case of the TSG itself, the letter "P".
3) i: Normally the hyphen character "-". May take on other values depending on the nature of the meeting at which the document is presented, eg the identity of a subgroup.
4) (nn): two digits to indicate the year, i.e. 99, 00, 01, etc;
5) zzzz: unique number of the document
No provision is made for the use of revision numbers. Documents which are a revision of a previous version should indicate the document number of that previous version.
The filename of documents shall be the document number. Documents may be compressed to .Zip files (and thus bear a file extension ".zip"). For example, document S1-060357 will be contained in file S1-060357.zip.
Each TSG and WG shall maintain a list of voting Individual Members (company or agency). To qualify for the list it is necessary for a delegate of an Individual Member to attend at least one TSG or WG meeting. An Individual Member which is absent from three consecutive meetings of the TSG or WG shall be removed from the voting membership list. Those removed shall be restored after a delegate attends one meeting, but the right to vote is reinstated at the next (second) meeting attended by a delegate of the Individual Member.
When a new TSG or WG is formed an Individual Member is added to the voting membership list at the first meeting at which it is represented, and may vote at the second meeting where it is represented. Exceptionally, if inadequate notice (less than 21 days) is given for the first meeting of the new group, an Individual Member may be added to the voting membership list and vote at the group’s second meeting (the election meeting) even if it was not represented at the group’s first meeting. Only an Individual Member that was present at the group’s first meeting may provide a proxy for the second meeting.
The voting membership list shall be used to establish quorum and for determining those eligible to take part in a vote.
Any group that wants to call an electronic meeting (audio, video, document distribution by posting or e-mail, etc) may do so, although this works best with smaller groups. Therefore, all electronic meetings are allowed but only ordinary meetings count towards attendance. However, if a meeting is designated as face-to-face, provision of bridge and speakerphone capabilities for those requesting it would be at the discretion of the host. Also, in this case for those only participating by speakerphone they would not be counted toward quorum, attendance or allowed to vote (TSG, WG).
A Working Group may establish a Sub Working Group (SWG) with defined Terms of Reference. The Working Group shall appoint a SWG Chairman. The SWG shall work by consensus. The meeting notice requirements for a SWG meeting are the same as for TSGs and WGs.
The 3GPP Work Programme shall consist of Work Items defined by the TSGs.
A 3GPP Work Item is a specification task defined in terms of the following principal parameters:
· title;
· intended output (i.e. Technical Specifications or Technical Reports);
· impact on other Technical Specifications and Technical Reports;
· technical scope, including the field of application of the intended output;
· impact on other 3GPP Work Items;
· the schedule of tasks to be performed;
· the identities of the supporting Individual Members;
· the identity of the Work Item Rapporteurs.
Each proposed new Work Item shall be supported by at least four Individual Members, and their names shall be recorded in the Work Item definition prepared for the TSG approval. One or more persons shall be named as Rapporteur for the proposed Work Item, and the Rapporteur shall act as the prime contact point on technical matters and for information on progress throughout the drafting phases. The supporting Individual Members are expected to contribute to and progress the new work item throughout the drafting phases.
In addition to the above, TSGs shall approve new Work Items, giving all essential parameters. The proposal shall be entered into the 3GPP work programme, clearly marked as a new entry, for which a unique reference identity shall be allocated.
The 3GPP work programme shall be made available to all Individual Members. A new Work Item shall remain flagged as "new" until the end of the month following the month during which the 3GPP work item was entered into the 3GPP work programme. A new Work Item shall be adopted by the PCG unless a substantial objection is received from an Individual Member or Partner during this period. At the end of the period, the "new" flag shall be removed (even if there is an objection) and it is the responsibility of any objecting Individual Member or Partner to discuss their objections with the TSG Chairman. If it is not possible to resolve the objection, it is the responsibility of the Individual Member or Partner to raise the issue with the PCG.
The TSGs shall ensure that the 3GPP Work Item details are maintained at regular intervals.
The Work Programme shall be updated accordingly, and shall show the Work Item as "stopped" until the end of the month following the month during which the Work Item was initially flagged.
The Work Item will be stopped by the PCG unless substantial objection is received from an Individual Member during this period. It is the responsibility of any objecting Individual Member to discuss their objections with the TSG Chairman. If it is not possible to resolve the objection, it is the responsibility of the Individual Member to raise the issue with the PCG.
The PCG shall be responsible for determining the overall time frame and for managing the overall work progress. The System Aspects TSG shall have a particular responsibility for the technical co-ordination of work being undertaken within 3GPP, and for overall system architecture and system integrity. Problems encountered in performing this technical co-ordination role shall be reported immediately to the PCG.
3GPP shall prepare, approve and maintain documents known as Technical Specifications and Technical Reports. Such documents shall be drawn up by the TSGs and shall, following approval at that level, be submitted to the participating Organizational Partners to be submitted to their respective standardization processes.
Approval of Technical Specifications and Technical reports by a TSG shall normally be by consensus.
Where consensus cannot be achieved in the TSG a vote may be taken.
When Technical Specifications and Technical Reports become sufficiently stable, they shall be put under change control of the relevant TSG. The further elaboration of these Technical Specifications and Technical Reports shall be achieved by change requests to be approved by the TSG.
The Technical Specifications and Technical Reports drafted by the TSGs shall follow the 3GPP drafting rules, using document processing facilities, format, languages and notations agreed by the Organizational Partners, and on a medium suited for electronic document handling and publishing.
The Organizational Partners will have joint ownership (including copyright) of the Technical Specifications and Technical Reports produced by 3GPP.
Organizational Partners shall use their best endeavours to convert the Technical Specifications and Technical Reports approved by the Partnership Project into national/regional deliverables in a timely manner through their normal processes.
The Organizational Partners are urged not to change the technical parts of the Technical Specifications and Technical Reports; they may add non-technical parts required by their own deliverable schemes and they may add descriptions of options selected.
Organizational Partners should ensure that all unresolved comments raised during their public enquiry and approval phases are delivered to the appropriate TSG.
A report shall be prepared by the Chairman following all PCG and TSG meetings.
The Chairman of each TSG shall inform the PCG of all organizational changes concerning Working Groups and their officials. An up to date record of the 3GPP structure shall be maintained.
The PCG and TSGs shall maintain an up to date calendar of the dates and venues for future meetings.
3GPP results should be submitted to the ITU as appropriate.
3GPP will not contribute directly to the ITU. Formal contributions to ITU Study Groups shall be made by Individual Members who are also members of the ITU. 3GPP Technical Specifications and Technical Reports may be taken as the technical content of such contributions.
Representatives of ITU-D, ITU-R and ITU-T are invited to participate in the Project Coordination Group for the efficient coordination and exchange of information.
TSGs and WGs are encouraged to liaise directly with the relevant technical bodies within the 3GPP and Partners as appropriate.
A liaison statement shall clearly communicate what is expected from the receiver, i.e., which parts are for information, which questions are expected to be clarified and by whom (especially if there are multiple receivers), and also when an answer is needed, e.g., when is the next meeting of the group sending the liaison statement.
The PCG shall maintain a list, based on proposals received from the TSGs, of external organizations with whom the TSGs and subtending WGs are authorised to liaise directly. External liaisons cannot be approved by SWGs.
The external liaison approval process is described in Annex D.
The resources for the operation of 3GPP shall be managed by the Organizational Partners. The resources are allocated to the TSGs by the PCG.
The Partners shall provide logistical support to, and assist in the operation of, 3GPP. The support shall be in the form of a Support Team which shall operate under the overall management of the PCG and the day to day management of TSGs.
Individual Members shall be bound by the IPR Policy of their respective Organizational Partner.
Individual Members should declare at the earliest opportunity, any IPRs which they believe to be essential, or potentially essential, to any work ongoing within 3GPP. Declarations should be made by Individual Members to their respective Organizational Partners.
Organizational Partners should encourage their respective members to grant licences on fair, reasonable terms and conditions and on a non-discriminatory basis.
The PCG shall maintain a register of IPR declarations relevant to 3GPP, received by the Organizational Partners.
The working language for 3GPP shall be English.
Meetings of the PCG and TSGs shall be conducted in English.
3GPP Technical Specifications and Technical Reports shall be prepared in English (as defined by the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary).
3GPP shall be task oriented and on completion of the tasks the future of 3GPP shall be re-considered. The continuation of 3GPP shall therefore be confirmed by the Organizational Partners on an annual basis.
An evaluation of the activities of 3GPP should be made by the Organizational Partners at regular intervals.
In the event of a voluntary dissolution of 3GPP, the Partners shall determine the terms of liquidation by consensus. All issues shall be documented and distributed at least 30 days prior to decisions being made.
These Partnership Project Working Procedures may only be amended by decision taken by the PCG.
Consensus: General agreement, characterized by the absence of sustained opposition to substantial issues by any important part of the concerned interest and by a process that involves seeking to take into account the views of all parties concerned and to reconcile any conflicting arguments. (Note: consensus need not imply unanimity).
Conversion: The transformation of a 3GPP output document into an Organizational Partners deliverable following the Organizational Partners’ recognized processes.
Delegate: An individual taking part in a TSG/WG meeting physically or by electronic means.
Drafting Rules: A document approved by the Organizational Partners providing rules for the drafting of 3GPP Technical Specifications and Technical Reports.
Election: The voting process used to identify an individual from a number of individuals.
Guest: An entity fulfilling the criteria to become a future Individual Member, which has been granted temporary participation rights in the 3GPP
Individual Member: A member of an Organizational Partner having participation rights within that Organizational Partner and which has registered to take part in 3GPP.
ITU Representative Representatives of ITU-D, ITU-R and ITU-T invited to participate in the Project Coordination Group for the efficient coordination and exchange of information.
Market Representation Partner: A Partner invited by the Organizational Partners to participate in 3GPP to offer advice and to bring into 3GPP a consensus view of market requirements.
Observer: An Organization fulfilling the criteria to become a future Partner which has been granted temporary participation rights in 3GPP.
Organizational Partner: A recognized Standards Organization which has been accepted as a Partner in 3GPP.
Partner: An Organizational Partner or a Market Representation Partner of 3GPP.
Partnership Project Agreement: The document signed by 3GPP Partners defining their rights and obligations.
Partnership Project Description: A document which describes the overall structure and operation of 3GPP.
Sub Working Group A subordinate body of a Working Group.
Support Team: A number of persons dedicated to support 3GPP.
Technical Report: A 3GPP output document containing mainly informative elements approved by a Technical Specification Group.
Technical Specification: A 3GPP output document containing normative provisions approved by a Technical Specification Group.
Voting Member An Individual Member who has voting rights within a TSG/WG.
Work Item: The documented record of a specific technical activity of 3GPP.
Work Programme: The documented record of the all technical activities of 3GPP.
Working Group: A subordinate body of a Technical Specification Group.
3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project
ARIB Association of Radio Industries and Businesses
ATIS Allicance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (successor to T1)
CCSA China Communications and Standards Association (successor to CWTS)
CDMA Code Division Multiple Access
CWTS China Wireless Telecommunications Standards Group (superseded by CCSA)
ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute
FDD Frequency Division Duplex
GSM Global System for Mobile Communication
IMT-2000 International Mobile Telecommunication
ITU International Telecommunication Union
MRP Market Representation Partner
PCG Project Co-ordination Group
SWG Sub Working Group
T1 Standards Committee T1 (superseded by ATIS)
TDD Time Division Duplex
TSG Technical Specification Group
TTA Telecommunications Technology Association
TTC Telecommunication Technology Committee
UIM User Identity Module
UTRA Universal Terrestrial Radio Access
UTRAN Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network
WG Working Group
APPLICATION FORM
for INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP
of the THIRD GENERATION PARTNERSHIP PROJECT
Please complete this form and return it to your Organizational Partner
COMPANY NAME .................................................................
Please indicate below which ORGANIZATIONAL PARTNER you are a member of
|
ARIB |
|
|
CCSA |
|
|
ETSI |
|
|
ATIS |
|
|
TTA |
|
|
TTC |
|
Please indicate below which Technical Specification Groups you wish to participate in:
|
Radio Access Network |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core Network and Terminals |
|
|
Service and System Aspects |
|
|
GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) |
|
|
Signed by (Authorized Representative) (See Note 1) |
|
|
Print name |
|
|
Position |