3GPP SA4#135 Meeting Guidelines Summary

Meeting Overview

SA4#135 is scheduled as an ordinary face-to-face meeting from Monday 9th February 2026 (09:00 local time) to Friday 13th February 2026 (16:00 local time).

Key Meeting Characteristics

• Meeting Type: Face-to-face with best-effort 2-way remote participation (to be confirmed by host)
• Attendance Counting: This meeting counts toward maintenance of voting rights per 3GPP WP article 35.4
• Registration Requirement: Delegates must register to both SA WG4 and related SWG meetings prior to meeting start

Meeting Priorities and Scope

Primary Focus

• Maintenance prioritization: Existing features under MCC change control take precedence
• Capacity Status: SA4 workload is considered at full capacity
• New Work: Agenda item 18 dedicated to New Work/Study items proposals for Rel-20, handled at SA4 plenary level
• Further Prioritization: Leadership will coordinate with rapporteurs if additional prioritization is needed

Rapporteur Expectations

• Encouraged to provide updated or new time plans with reasonable objectives for the meeting

Document Submission and Handling

Submission Deadlines and Process

• Submission Deadline: Tuesday 3rd February 2026 (23:59 CET)
• Late Documents: Documents submitted after deadline will be considered LATE and will NOT be handled during the meeting
• Exception: Deadline does not apply to SWG reports or documents requiring preparation/updates during the meeting

Primary Agenda Items for Input Documents

• Documents should be registered primarily for Agenda Items 6, 7 to 11, and 18
• Consultation with SA4 Chair required before registering to other Agenda Items
• Each document must be registered under only one Agenda Item

Document Templates and Tools

• Templates available at: https://www.3gpp.org/ftp/tsg_sa/WG4_CODEC/TSGS4_135_India/Templates
• 3GU tool used for Tdoc reservation and upload prior to submission deadline

Change Request (CR) Handling

CR Submission Guidelines

• Do not use "draftCR" type in 3GU; use "CR" type for changes to TRs and TSs under change control
• MS Word software required for CR preparation according to 3GPP styles and drafting rules
• For WIDs not yet approved: use DUMMY as WI in 3GU, while using proposed WID Acronym in CR cover page

CR Status Options

• Agreed: Sent to SA for approval
• Merged
• Endorsed: Content agreed as basis for further work
• Noted: Can be revised at following meeting without new CR number
• Not pursued
• Postponed: Can be revised at following meeting without new CR number

OpenAPI Impact Requirements

CRs impacting OpenAPI must include in "Other Comments" field the output from Data Type Finder tool, indicating:
- Backward compatible/incompatible status
- Feature/correction classification
- List of affected APIs (TS_.yaml)

Document Revision Management

Draft Document Handling

• Location: Upload to Drafts folder (either public FTP or local ftp://10.10.10.10 server - to be decided at opening plenary)
• Purpose: Documents for discussion during meeting, typically revisions before formal Tdoc submission
• Formal Status: Draft documents will NOT be disposed formally; only formal Tdocs receive formal disposition

Draft Revision Template System

Structured naming convention to facilitate updates without formal Tdoc numbers:

• Text proposal template: Tdoc|_|Company_name (e.g., S4-251234_Banana)
• Revision template (by author): Tdoc|r|2_digits_rev_number (e.g., S4-251234r01)
• Company proposals: Apply to latest Tdoc revision or latest company proposal (e.g., S4-251234r07_Pear_Plum_Cherry)
• Final disposition: When Tdoc revision is to be disposed (agreed/approved/merged/endorsed/noted), new Tdoc number is assigned

Example Workflow

1. Original: Docs/S4-251234 (author Banana)
2. Company updates: Drafts/Video/S4-251234_Pear
3. Additional updates: Drafts/Video/S4-251234_Pear_Plum
4. Author revision: Drafts/Video/S4-251234r01
5. Further revision: Drafts/Video/S4-251234r02
6. Final agreed version: Inbox/S4-251235 (possibly co-signed)

During-Meeting Document Handling

• New Tdoc numbers: Allocate only on request from chairs using 3GU
• Upload location: Inbox folder (public FTP or local server)
• Immediate notification: Indicate Tdoc number and information to appropriate chairperson immediately
• Other SA4 Tdocs (LSs, reports): Request approval from chairperson first, then use 3GU

Web-Based Upload Option

• Visit intended directory
• Click upload button
• Log in with EOL account
• Drag and drop document into upload area

Work Item (WID) Handling Guidelines

New WID Consideration Criteria

A new WID (Study or Normative) for new work areas should only be considered for agreement if:
- Submitted for agreement and on time
- Preferably has at least 4 supporting companies
- Has agreeable SWG allocation
- Fits overall SA4 workplan (maximum of 16 concurrent items)

New WID from Previous Work

• WIDs consequent to previous work (e.g., Study leading to normative work) can be elaborated and considered for agreement during WG meeting

New WID Submissions

• Submissions for information or discussion welcome at any SA4 meeting
• Work plan encouraged: For studies, should include indication of potential normative work

Meeting Agenda Indication

• Whether SA4 meeting will discuss and agree new WID will be indicated in proposed meeting agenda (shared at least 3 weeks before meeting)
• Meetings allowing new WID agreement include dedicated A.I. and corresponding SA4 plenary session
• F2F ordinary meetings recommended for such sessions

Exceptions

• Always possible due to pressing circumstances, assuming large SA4 consensus

WID Naming Conventions (SA Guidance)

Normative WID Structure

| Group/Topic | Name's Recommended Prefix | Acronym's Suffix |
|-------------|---------------------------|------------------|
| SA1 | Stage 1 for | -REQ |
| SA2 | Stage 2 for | -ARC |
| SA3 | Security for | -SEC |
| SA3 Lawful Intercept | Lawful Intercept for | -LI |
| SA4 | Media aspects for | -MED |
| SA5 Management | OAM for | -OAM |
| SA5 Charging | Charging for | -CH |
| SA6 Mission Critical | Stage 2 for | -MC |
| SA6 App Enablement | Stage 2 for | -APP |
| CT WGs | CT Aspects for | -CT |
| RAN Core Part | Core Part: | -Core |
| RAN Perf Part | Perf. Part: | -Perf |
| RAN UE Conformance | UE Conformance - | -UEConTest |

WID Grouping and Alignment

• Related items grouped by MCC in Work Plan with indented (hierarchical) structure
• Same root name/acronym should be used by all WGs/TSGs (e.g., SA1's "Sensing-REQ" continues in SA2 as "Sensing-ARC")
• Different names/acronyms allowed for specific cases (no 1-to-1 mapping or different scopes)
• Single-group WIDs (not impacting other groups) require no specific name/acronym alignment

Feature Improvements Over Releases

• Use "Phase n" as name prefix and "_Phn" as acronym
• Example: Name: "Stage 2 for Phase 3 of 5GSat", Acronym: "5GSat_Ph3-ARC"
• Do not use: "Enhancement of"/"Further enhancements of"/"Even further enhancements of"

Email Agreement Procedure

General Email Process

• Can be triggered at discretion of corresponding Chair on any Agenda Item
• Minimum 24h for comments, with start and end within meeting period
• Chair moderates email discussions
• Chair provides disposition of Tdocs at end of procedure
• Tdocs without disposition handled during subsequent face-to-face session

Email Reflectors

• SA4 WG: 3GPP_TSG_SA_WG4
• MBS SWG: 3GPP_TSG_SA_WG4_MBS
• Video SWG: 3GPP_TSG_SA_WG4_VIDEO
• RTC SWG: 3GPP_TSG_SA_WG4_RTC
• Audio SWG: 3GPP_TSG_SA_WG4_AUDIO

Delegate Expectations

• For topics handled via email agreement parallel to face-to-face sessions, delegates expected to comment as soon as possible over email rather than wait for face-to-face sessions

Email Trigger Format

Chair triggers email discussion with subject line:
"[AI#, Tdoc number(s), deadline] free text"

Components:
- AI: Agenda Item from meeting agenda
- Tdoc number(s): Relevant document(s)
- Deadline: Time/date in CET when discussion closes
- No attachments: All drafts and Tdocs uploaded to 3GPP FTP server
- URL recommended: Insert URL to folder or document(s)

Reply Format

• Subject must start with "RE: [original email subject]"
• Remove any company mail server additions

Example Trigger Emails

Example 1:

Subject: [5.1, S4-25xxx, S4-24yyy, Monday 1st Feb. 1500 CET] MBS SWG reports for approval

I declare the email agreement process started on the document(s) indicated in the subject line.

If no comments are received by Monday 1st February 1500 CET (start of opening plenary) the document(s) will be considered approved.

Example 2:

Subject: [8.6, S4-25zzzz, Thursday 4th Feb. 0900 CET] FS_5GMS_Multicast proposal

I declare the email agreement process started on the document(s) indicated in the subject line.

The proposal of the document reads "…[insert here a few words from the proposal in the Tdoc]"

If no comments are received by Thursday 4th Feb. 0900 CET, the document(s) will be considered agreed.

Author Recommendations

• Provide clear and short summary proposal within Tdoc (e.g., as conclusion) for SWG chair to use in trigger email

Ad-Hoc (AH) Calls Between Ordinary Meetings

Purpose and Assignment

• Rapporteurs may propose AH calls between ordinary meetings to progress work and prevent time-plan delays
• AH calls assigned to SWG in charge of relevant Study or Work Item

Frequency Recommendation

• Minimize number of AH calls between ordinary meetings

Contribution Deadline

• Recommended: At least 48 working hours between contribution deadline and AH call start (to extent possible)

Scope Definition

• Clear objectives should be listed in study/work item time-plan agenda
• Contribution review primarily focuses on those aligned with AH call objectives
• Alternative review order at chair's discretion

General Meeting Conduct

Applicable Rules

• All disclaimers read before 3GPP meetings apply (anti-trust, IPR, consensus principles)
• No recording of conference calls or collaborative tool sessions allowed
• Only registered delegates representing 3GPP individual members may attend
• Unregistered participants risk having comments ignored
• Comments via email and teleconferences must be courteous and technical

Meeting Format

• Primarily held as face-to-face sessions
• Use of email agreement process at discretion of chairs
• No change to submission process and agenda creation (SA4#135 agenda in S4-260001)