Page 12 - ETSI-Newsletter-Feb-2017

Voice of an SME! One small company’s experience of ETSI

Francois Ambrosini, of IBIT Ambrosini UG, talks about his Work in ETSI TC RRS and TC CYBER

“I think it is appropriate to say that ETSI is among the most – if not the most – SME-friendly
standardization organizations globally”

Q. You’re a (very) small business owner/ computing and memory resources
operator, yet an ETSI member and which are then mapped to the specific
active in at least two ETSI committees. hardware and software capabilities
How did you come to hear about ETSI, provided by a given reconfigurable
and what are you trying to achieve by radio platform. A set of interfaces are
being involved in ETSI? standardized to expose radio services
to upper layers (such as the network
FA I first came to know about ETSI via layer), expose the radio platform to
the DVB Project when I was dealing radio applications, and manage radio
with the standardization of mobile TV applications. The complete framework
systems a bit longer than ten years allows for a radio application ecosystem,
ago. The need to get acquainted with yet gives manufacturers full flexibility in
3GPP specifications quickly followed. deciding to which extent their platform
Since then, ETSI regularly showed up should be opened to third-party
in searches related to various topics of developers. For further details, I would
interest. recommend to start with the ETSI
webinar recorded by key contributors
My activities involve counselling and in TC RRS: https://goo.gl/doFv30
being active in standardization. One
of my objectives in ETSI is to identify In my opinion, radio reconfigurability
gaps in standards for the benefit of my for mobile devices will bring several
customers - who could then decide benefits. Firstly, for the consumer, the mechanisms to protect the integrity of
to start a standardization effort - or lifetime of devices would increase as radio applications during distribution
to leverage my flexibility in order to their radio is updated to the latest and make sure that only authorized
progress a specific work item that I access technologies. Secondly, it would parties can install them on devices.
would anticipate to be useful in the become possible to quickly deploy new A key feature of the Software
future. The work on access control systems with an existing radio access Reconfiguration Framework for Mobile
currently undertaken in TC CYBER is an technology and transition to a more Devices is its native support for the
example. appropriate one when it becomes legal framework set by the Radio
available. Thirdly, the reconfigurability Equipment Directive of the European
Q. You are also active in TC RRS, of the mobile devices means that the Union. The security model provides
which is looking at very advanced network becomes fully mutable: the mechanisms for the manufacturer
technologies, and where interesting radio service can be seen as a virtual to ensure that the radio equipment
scenarios are being developed. Can you network function, the mobile device remains compliant with the essential
tell us some more about them? as a special kind of virtualization requirements of the directive
platform – not only for radio, actually.
“Two notable technologies This positions the technology as a key after a reconfiguration has taken
place, prevents falsification of the
developed in TC RRS enabler for 5G. Declaration of Conformity as well as
are Licensed Shared installation of non-compliant radio
Access and the Software Lastly, security updates have de-facto applications, and supports regulators
Reconfiguration Framework become a mandatory practice in their market surveillance and
and having a standardized update
for Mobile Devices” mechanism for the radio is a positive disturbance control activities. These
mechanisms are further extended
aspect. Radio chipsets have computing
FA From my point of view, two notable capabilities and as such their security to ensure the overall integrity and
technologies developed in TC RRS must be taken care of. trustworthiness of the reconfigurable
are Licensed Shared Access and the radio platform, as well as the
Software Reconfiguration Framework Q. In TC RRS, you are looking at security confidentiality of key assets.
for Mobile Devices. The later has of reconfigurable radios – what are the
a particularly strong potential as it issues here? Long-term security support for all
enables powerful and energy-efficient sorts of connected devices is one of
software defined radio on mobile or FA We are actually two experts, the challenges that the IT industry
embedded terminals. with Scott Cadzow from Cadzow is facing – which is exacerbated by
Communications Consulting, who the framework’s ability to extend
In a nutshell, this efficiency is achieved is well known across ETSI’s security the device lifetime. There is a good
by implementing radio applications as a work in TETRA, TC CYBER and other opportunity to tackle this problem in TC
combination of software and hardware technical bodies. The first objective is RRS for the radio applications.
components. TC RRS defined a data to ensure that the introduction of radio Scott Cadzow and I have recorded
model for the abstract representation reconfigurability does not jeopardize a webinar introducing the security
of radio applications as a set of the security of the device. This requires model: https://goo.gl/TRrYFQ

Continued on page 13 >

12 | THE STANDARD February 2017