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JUNE

PLENARIES GO F2F

By Issam Toufik, Director of the 3GPP Mobile
Competence Centre

When the COVID-19 pandemic surged in 2020, it had a To ensure that this meeting is a success, the European Friends
considerable disruptive effect on the organization of 3GPP of 3GPP (EF3) - the host of TSGs#96 - is putting the necessary
meetings. All physical meetings were cancelled and replaced measures in place to ensure a safe meeting. Those include:
by “virtual meetings” with views expressed by a combination of • MEETING ROOMS SETUP RESPECTING SOCIAL DISTANCING
email list exchanges and on-line conference sessions.
BETWEEN THE DELEGATES.
In the early days, as hopes of quickly controlling or eradicating • MICROPHONES REGULARLY SANITISED.
the pandemic were high, it was expected that this virtual mode
would be a short-term measure and that face-to-face meetings • STAGGERED GROUP COFFEE BREAKS & SEPARATE AREAS,
would resume shortly. However, with the many challenges TO AVOID CROWDING.
caused by the pandemic and the emergence of new variants, it
quickly became clear that the return to “normal” would not be • PROVISION OF HAND-SANITIZERS IN PUBLIC AREAS &
as soon as hoped. It has now been more than two years that all MEETING ROOMS.
3GPP meetings have been held as e-meetings. • MCC WILL PROVIDE SUPERIOR FFP2 MASKS FOR DELEGATES.
While 3GPP adapted well to the new working environment – • ALTHOUGH EF3 RECOMMENDS THAT ALL DELEGATES
notably completing the whole of Release 17, from start to finish, BRING COVID-19 SELF TESTING KITS, KITS WILL BE AVAILABLE
during the pandemic - the desire and need to go back to face- TO PURCHASE.
to-face meetings as soon as possible is growing.
• ACCESS TO TESTING ONSITE.
In response, the 3GPP Organisational Partners (OPs) tasked
their Meeting Hosting Study Group (MHSG) to quantify the • HOTEL WILL HOLD SOME ROOMS FOR EXTEND STAY DUE TO
necessary conditions to restart 3GPP face-to-face meetings in A POSITIVE TEST.
a safe, fair and well-coordinated way. In order to simplify access to testing for delegates returning
The Partner’s meeting in October 2021 (OP#46-e) approved home after the meeting, EF3 has contracted medical staff to
a set of conditions, based on the study groups findings, for take care of the required Antigen or PCR testing (Certified by
physical meetings to be resumed in 3GPP. The OPs then a medical doctor) to meet the requirements of airlines and
created a new group chaired by the MHSG Convenor, with OPs border forces. A poll will be sent to all registered delegates a
representatives, the TSG leadership (SA, RAN and CT) and the couple of weeks before the meeting checking for the need of
regional meeting hosts - to ensure that the necessary progress COVID-19 testing before their return home. EF3 will prepare
was made. This new group meets on a regular basis to assess, sufficient capacity and efficient scheduling according to poll’s
based on the Organisational Partners’ input, the feasibility of results.
hosting physical meetings in the next quarter. In their March When we meet in Budapest in June, we will savour the
meeting, the committee decided that the first 3GPP face-to- moment, meet old friends and remember colleagues who have
face meeting, since the Covid-19 outbreak, will be the June moved on or cannot join us, as we start our travels back to
2022 TSG meetings in Budapest-Hungary. normal.

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