TSG#25 Highlights

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Previous Highlights: TSG#15  | TSG#16 | TSG#19 | TSG#20 | TSG#21 | TSG#22| TSG#23 | TSG#24

Welcome!

Welcome to the latest edition of TSG Highlights! The aim is to provide you with a concise summary of the decisions and actions of the most recent 3GPP Technical Specification Group meetings held in September 2004 in Palm Springs, USA.

3GPP has five TSGs: CN (Core Network); RAN (Radio Access Network); T (Terminals); SA (Services and Systems Aspects); and GERAN (GSM EDGE Radio Access Network). This summary reports on the first four of these, as GERAN meetings take place separately from the other TSGs.

Please note, these summaries to do not constitute formal, approved reports of the meetings – they are opinions only and also may not be complete. They are offered for guidance only.

What's in a 3GPP Release?

For an overview of 3GPP Release 99, Release4 and Release 5 please have a look here >>>. These documents have been produced by the ETSI Mobile Competence Centre and each is a summary of the Features contained in each of the above Releases.

What's in Release 6? What's the schedule? What follows that?

The expected contents of Release 6 (and even what lies beyond Release 6) can be found in the 3GPP workplan .

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TSG-CN (Core Network)

The TSG-CN meeting #25 took place in Palm Springs USA, from 8^th - 10^th September. A total of 54 participants were registered and 144 documents were treated.

Output:

Change Requests:

The number of Change Requests (CRs) to TSG-CN specifications approved is summarized in the following table:

Work Items:

TSG-CN approved the following new or revised Work Item Descriptions (WID):

Specifications:

The following Technical Specifications/Reports (TS/TR) were noted for information by the plenary as being at least 50% complete.

The following Technical Specifications/Reports (TS/TR) were approved and placed under change control.

Summary

The target date for freezing of Release 6 was extended by SA until TSG#26 (Dec. 2004).  Most of the CN work items are currently scheduled for completion in December. 

Several items have special handling since they are not expected to be completed by December 2004:

• IMS emergency calls: A revised WID is required to progress this work since it has been stalled.  Supporting companies will be asked to reaffirm their commitment to the work.  However in the SA plenary, several companies mentioned that it may be desirable to split the work and focus on SIP emergency calls (and defer work on SIM-less PS setup).  The revised CN WID should reflect any new direction taken by SA2.
• IMS local services has been stalled for some time.  To progress this work a specific stage 3 WID will be required.  Local services should be removed from the IMS phase 2 WID.
• SIP enhancements to trace.  It was agreed in SA to split out the IMS trace portion of the work.  The CN WID should be revised to remove the IMS trace.  It probably makes sense to delay creating a WID for the IMS trace portion until a corresponding WID is created by SA5.
• The support for mapping to IMS presence and GUP has also been removed from the OSA Rel-6 work item. 
• GUP, since the official freeze date for Rel-6 was moved to December, GUP is not officially out of Rel-6 (a decision will be taken in December). 
• MRFC-MRFP (Mp) interface will probably be moved to Rel 7, but that decision will formally be taken in Dec.  No concerns were noted in CN or SA when a slip to Rel 7 was mentioned.

A LS was sent from SA to OMA making them aware of the Parlay X work which has occurred to CN5.  CN endorsed CN5's proposal to take create and take responsibility for a new OSA stage 2 (23.198).  The fate of 23.127 is up to SA2 and SA.

The enabler WIDs for IMS via fixed broadband were approved after considerable discussion in both CN and SA.  CN WGs are requested to review the stage 3 WID and provide greater detail on the proposed contents and any schedule updates for a revision of the WID.  It was noted that the working assumption in CN is that service requirements come from SA1, architectural requirements come from SA2, and security requirements come from SA3 unless told otherwise by SA.  SA has so far not told CN otherwise.

Companies are asked to review Q.TRMMR and provide comments directly to SSG.

SA accepted CRs to introduce the early implementation process into the working procedures (21.900), but rejected CRs to codify the exception for approving version 1.x.x specs and also for using old WID codes in the CR coversheet.  It was agreed by CN and SA that in cases where external factors cause code annexes to be delayed, that the MCC should provide the word document early on and provide a complete version later as an editorial revision.

TSG_CN declined to coordinate the WG document deadlines.  This is a decision that shall be up to each WG.

Collocated WG meetings for 2005 are:

• Feb 14-18, 2005 - Sydney, Australia
• April 25-29, 2005 - Cancun, Mexico (tentative location)
• Aug 29-Sept 2, 2005 - EU
• Oct 31-Nov 4, 2005 - EU

Activities by WG:

The following are the actions requested by the CN and SA plenaries for the CN WGs.  Note that the supporting companies are still required to introduce the appropriate contributions into the WGs to ensure that the actions occur.

CN1:

CN1 should remove the OSA PAM work from the presence WID.

CN1 should indicate to CN#26 any Rel 5 TS's or TR's which should NOT be carried forward into Rel 6.

It was clarified as part of the workplan discussions that there no CN1 work is expected for MBMS user services or for LCS.

CN1 should consider the scenarios described in SP-040671 and assess whether any improvements can be made to address these issues within the current principles adopted for PLMN selection (e.g., without changing 22.011).  CN1 should communicate to SA1, GERAN1, and RAN2 the results of this investigation.  SA1 may provide to CN1 further input on scenarios it should consider in its investigation.

Coordinate with other WGs and provide a revised WID for IMS via fixed broadband. This should include more information on work content and revised dates.

The IMS emergency call WID should be revised (once the SA2 direction is established).

IMS local services should be removed from the IMS phase 2 WID.  If the desire exists to do this work, a separate WID should be created.

CN3:

CN3 should indicate to CN#26 any Rel 5 TS's or TR's which should NOT be carried forward into Rel 6.

CN4:

CN4 should indicate to CN#26 any Rel 5 TS's or TR's which should NOT be carried forward into Rel 6.

A WID is needed if it is decided to convert 23.910 from a TR into a TS.  This is to ensure that there is adequate commitment to the work.

IMS trace should be removed from the trace management WID.

CN5:

CN5 should indicate to CN#26 any Rel 5 TS's or TR's which should NOT be carried forward into Rel 6.

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TSG-RAN (Radio Access Network)

TSG RAN meeting #25 took place in Palm Springs, US. The meeting started on Tuesday 7th September 2004 and finished on Thursday 9th. 94 participants were registered and 134 documents were submitted.

The approved Change Requests (CRs) to TSG RAN specifications are summarized in the following table:

The Work Shop on RAN long term evolution was confirmed, it will take place in Toronto, Canada, 2 – 3 November, hosted by Ericsson. The Scope and Agenda were approved in the meeting.

A LS from ECC PT1 for the introduction of UMTS in the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands was received. This LS means that UMTS900 is now a regulatory requirement, but 3GPP will start the work when a WI proposal is presented and companies are ready to contribute.

ETSI SES (Satellite Earth stations and Systems) had liased with RAN WG4 for collaboration on a WCDMA interface for satellite services, asking for cooperation on co-existence studies and interworking. It was agreed that the studies should not take place in 3GPP, the collaboration being limited to review and comment the work in ETSI SES. For interworking, TSG SA should be the contact point.

RAN WGs are required to prioritise Rel-6 items, notably Enhanced Uplink and MBMS, are over Rel-7 items. This applies in particular to MIMO. This prioritisation is to be observed until December 2004 and will be reviewed in next TSG RAN

ITU-R matters

Documentation to be submitted to ITU-R for the Update 5 of M.1457 was reviewed. This is the final submission; the documents presented contain the descriptive sections for M.1457, and the lists of specifications. The descriptive text had been reviewed and endorsed by the RAN WGs, the were reviewed and approved by TSG RAN, CN, T and SA, as there are specifications under the responsibility of all TSGs. The final documents are presented to 3GPP PCG for final approval.

Release 99, Release-4 & Release-5

Rel-5 CRs to remove the mapping of DCCH onto HS-DSCH had been agreed in WG2, on the basis that the functionality doesn’t provide benefit but complicates implementations and tests. For TDD mode however, the mapping was found useful and the removal was objected in the meeting. The CRs were modified to make the removal applicable to FDD only.

The procedure of approving new RAB configurations was discussed, triggered by the need to agree on new configurations for HSDPA testing. It was agreed that any new proposal for TS34.108, RABs for testing, should be first presented and studied in T WG1. This group will then liase with RAN WG1/WG2 that will provide feedback. TR25.993, Commercial & interoperability RABs, remains under control of RAN groups.

Japanese regulations now cover HSDPA, the note on regional non applicability of HSDPA requirements for BSs is now removed.

Release 6 and beyond

The work item “Remote Control of Electrical Tilting Antennas” is completed. 4 TSs created in a new series, 25.46x, for the introduction the Iuant interface. Separately, SA WG5 has also finished the OAM&P work on the area.

The WI for the specification of A-GPS performance requirements is finished, TS25.171 is approved. Further work will take place in T WG1-RF to develop the test cases.

Under the FDD Enhanced Uplink work item, the Stage 2 TS was approved (TS25.309, “Enhanced uplink UTRA FDD; Stage 2”).

The UE power back off with HS-DPCCH transmission in Rel-6 was discussed again. WG4 had agreed on the same CRs that had already been presented in last RAN, and resubmitted them again for approval. Some companies objected that the back off should not apply for Rel-6 UEs capable of HSDPA+EDCH. Agreement was reached with the addition of a note stating that applicability for EDCH capable UEs is for further study.

The WI “Improvement of inter-frequency and inter-system measurement” was closed, it had been open for long time with no agreement in WG1 on the gains of the techniques used.

A first CR introducing enhanced performance requirements for RX diversity UEs, categories 1 to 6, was approved under the “Performance Requirements of Receive Diversity for HSDPA” Work Item. Requirements for the pending categories 7 & 8 will be completed by March

MBMS: A new Work Task to define UE performance requirements was approved (see below).

The feasibility study on “Radio link performance enhancements” is completed with the analysis of the gains of the ACK/NACK enhancement proposed. A new Work Item follows.

The feasibility study on “Higher Chip Rates for UTRA TDD evolutions” is completed. A new Feature follows.

The following Work Items were approved:

• Improved performance requirements for HSDPA categories 7 & 8. New WT under “Improved Receiver Performance Requirements for HSDPA”, WG4 leads, completion by June 2005.

• Inclusion of Uplink TDOA UE positioning method in the UTRAN specifications. New item under “UE positioning”, WG2 leads, completion by June 2006

• HS-DPCCH ACK/NACK enhancement. New item under “RAB Support enhancement”, WG1 leads, completion by December 2004. To be part of Rel-6

• 7.68 Mcps TDD Option New Feature, completion by March 2006

• MBMS performance requirements. New item under “Introduction of MBMS in RAN”, WG4 leads, completion by June 2005. To be part of Rel-6

• UMTS 2600. WG4 leads, completion by June 2005

The table below summarizes TSG RAN Work Plan: