What distinguishes being "operational" from doing some tests with a prototype?

@MolbyDick
Is this about the vehicle or the taxi service or both?

Would the following qualify for a yes resolution:

1. A model 3 or Y owned by tesla in operation as a taxi as some limited area test of unsupervised FSD.
2. A model 3 or Y owned by tesla in operation as a taxi using unsupervised FSD able to go some distance (30 miles? 50 miles? within same state).
3. A model 3 or Y owned by someone other than tesla or employee or other related party in operation as a taxi in some limited area test of unsupervised FSD
4. A model 3 or Y owned by someone other than tesla or employee or other related party in operation as a taxi with unsupervised FSD usable in most places in a whole state (Texas?)
5. A robotaxi vehicle being sold to a 3rd party, no unsupervised FSD.
6. A robotaxi vehicle operated by Tesla in an unsupervised FSD limited test working as a taxi
7. A robotaxi vehicle operated by Tesla with unsupervised FSD working as a taxi able to go vast majority of anywhere that is within both the same USA state, and 50 miles of a location.
8. A robotaxi vehicle owned and operated by someone other than Tesla, an employee or other related party with unsupervised FSD working as a taxi anywhere in Texas or another state.


I think 8 is too restrictive, I can easily imagine this happening only well after I would consider it "operational".

I think they will be gradually rolling out tests that are less and less restrictive over a long period of time before covers all USA states. Excluding all such tests seems too restrictive to me but perhaps allowing a test limited to just downtown area of one city might not seem like fully operational yet?

Other options can be devised and either/or alternatives may be appropriate. For example

Either something like one of options above e.g. (A robotaxi vehicle operated by Tesla with unsupervised FSD working as a taxi able to go vast majority of anywhere that is within both the same USA state, and 30 miles of a location.)
or
Sale of a robotaxi vehicle. This requires delivery of the vehicle to customer to have happened and unsupervised FSD has to be enabled (i.e. only qualifies when UFSD is usable either by owner or as part of Tesla uncrewed taxi fleet)

I suggest there seems quite a range of when you might consider "it" (what exactly?) operational, so some clarification would be useful.