School of Specs 21.900v20.0.0

3GPP 21.900 v20.0.0 — the document's own text

4.7 "Freezing" of specifications

Taught in 3. What a Release is, and what freezing one costs (How standards actually get made, in depth), 4. The change request and the release (How standards actually get made, overview), 3. One idea, from proposal to published text (How standards actually get made, quick start).

A TSG may decide that a specification is sufficiently stable that it may be considered "frozen". That is, only CRs for essential corrections of errors shall be considered except as discussed below (see clause 4.6.2 and in particular the derogation statement below table 4A).

At the same time, a new major version may be developed for inclusion of new features.

Normally, all specifications of a Release will be frozen when the TSGs decide that the functionality of the Release is stable – i.e that all new features to be included in the Release have been defined and that all new or modified functionality required to implement those features has been incorporated into the specifications. At this point, the Release as a whole shall be declared to be "frozen", and its constituent specifications shall likewise be "frozen".

A CR of category B or C (and any associated category A mirrors) to a frozen version of a specification (in a given Release) shall only be an alignment of the specification with the agreed functionality of the Release as provided for in other specifications of that Release, or for internal consistency of an individual specification. Such a CR may add to, remove from, or modify the functionality of a frozen specification to ensure a consistent specification set across a particular Release.

Correction CRs (category F and any associated category A mirrors) to a frozen version of a specification (in a given Release) shall fit into one of the following classifications:

  • A CR to introduce an essential correction, i.e. where a frequently occurring case is not handled properly because there is some error or significant ambiguity in the specification.

NOTE: The CRs of the above category are sometimes referred to as "FASMO" CRs: "Frequent And Serious MisOperation".

  • A CR to remedy the incorrect implementation of a previously approved CR (of any category).