ETSI Establishes Technical Committee for Data Solutions (TC DATA)
In a significant move towards enhancing the European digital single market, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has established a new Technical Committee on Data Solutions (TC DATA). The focus of TC DATA is on data infrastructures, services, and applications, particularly for Internet of Things (IoT), telecommunications, human services, and other industries.
TC DATA's primary objective is to develop comprehensive technical standards and specifications on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and data interoperability. These standards aim to support emerging European frameworks such as the EU Data Governance Act, promoting trustworthy data sharing and reuse within the EU.
Key areas of TC DATA's work include AI and Machine Learning Standards, Data Interoperability, Conformance and Interoperability Testing, and support for the EU Data Governance Act. The committee is working on creating specifications that enable the effective use of AI and ML in data processing environments, ensuring interoperability and trustworthiness in AI-driven systems.
Data Interoperability is another critical aspect of TC DATA's work. The committee emphasizes defining common data models, interfaces, and protocols that allow seamless data sharing between heterogeneous systems and across different sectors. This is crucial for enabling cross-domain data exchange, aligning with the aims of the EU Data Governance Act to facilitate data re-use under controlled conditions.
ETSI provides mechanisms such as conformance testing and interoperability testing to validate that implementations meet the defined standards. This ensures functional compatibility and compliance, which are vital for secure and reliable data sharing ecosystems.
The EU Data Governance Act promotes trustworthy data sharing and reuse within the EU by establishing clear rules and frameworks. TC DATA’s standards underpin these goals by offering technical specifications that help implement these rules at the system and application levels. For instance, by defining how data services and AI applications should operate to maintain compliance, traceability, and data protection.
ETSI also integrates security and privacy considerations into these standards, complementing regulations such as GDPR, which is important for consumer data protection integrated within IoT and AI contexts. The committee collaborates closely with other European bodies and projects to address interoperability and security challenges in AI systems and data sharing infrastructures, thus facilitating the broader EU policy and legislative objectives around data governance and digital transformation.
David Boswarthick, ETSI's director of strategy and innovation, emphasizes the importance of data access through open and transparent frameworks. TC DATA aims to create an open ecosystem enabling industrial solutions across various sectors. The proliferation of AI and agentic AI applications necessitates open infrastructures to address unprecedented interoperability requirements.
In a second phase, TC DATA's principles and specifications will be extended to other environments such as maritime transport, eHealth, agriculture, and network management. TC DATA plans to collaborate closely with the European Commission to support the EU Data Governance Act.
Diego López, the convenor of the ETSI group, expresses enthusiasm about contributing to the success of this work in ETSI. TC DATA aims to promote responsible data sharing, enhance privacy and security, and drive innovation in AI and ML.
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The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Technical Committee on Data Solutions (TC DATA) is focusing on developing comprehensive technical standards and specifications for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), in addition to data interoperability, to support the EU Data Governance Act and promote trustworthy data sharing within the European Union. TC DATA also prioritizes AI and Machine Learning Standards, Data Interoperability, Conformance and Interoperability Testing, and supporting the implementation of the EU Data Governance Act.
TC DATA's standards and specifications aim to encompass how data services and AI applications should operate to maintain compliance, traceability, and data protection, integrating security and privacy considerations to comply with regulations like GDPR within IoT and AI contexts. In a subsequent phase, TC DATA's principles and specifications will be extended to other environments such as maritime transport, eHealth, agriculture, and network management, while working closely with the European Commission to support the EU Data Governance Act.
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