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NFV Tutorial on VNF Package specification and MANO REST APIs

Security for NFV - challenges and progress so far

NFV Testing Landscape

NFV Acceleration Technology Overview and Standards Update

ETSI NFV interfaces and architecture

ETSI NFV release 2 results & release 3 work programme overview


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Introduction

Open Source Mano is an ETSI-hosted initiative to develop an Open Source NFV Management and Orchestration (MANO) software stack aligned with ETSI NFV.

Two of the key components of the ETSI NFV architectural framework are the NFV Orchestrator and VNF Manager, known as NFV MANO. Additional layers, such as service orchestration are also required for operators to enable true NFV services. Open Source software can facilitate the implementation of an ETSI aligned NFV architecture, provide practical and essential feedback to the ETSI ISG NFV and increase the likelihood of interoperability among NFV implementations.

Our Role & Activities

ETSI's Open Source Mano (OSM) group, is developing an open source NFV Management and Orchestration stack using well established open source tools and working procedures. The activity is closely aligned with the evolution of ETSI NFV and will provide a regularly updated reference implementation of NFV MANO. OSM aims at enabling an eco-system of NFV solution vendors to rapidly and cost-effectively deliver solutions to their users.

ETSI OSM complements the work of ETSI NFV and vice versa. In particular, ETSI OSM provides an opportunity to capitalize on the synergy between standardization and open source approaches by accessing a greater and more diverse set of contributors and developers than would normally be possible.

This approach maximizes innovation, efficiency and time to market and ensures a continuing series of true (conformant) reference implementations.

Participation to ETSI OSM is open to members and non-members of ETSI upon signature of the relevant agreements.

The OSM code is developed according to accepted open source working procedures. Latest information is available on the OSM development platform which is hosted and managed by the ETSI Secretariat.


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Introduction

The Industry Specification Group (ISG) on Non-IP Networking (NIN) has been set up to standardize a digital communications technology fit for the 21st century.

Our vision is a much more efficient system that is far more responsive to its users.

Networking for the age of virtualization

The TCP/IP suite of network protocols is now over 40 years old and was designed for different requirements than the networking of the 2020s. This raises addressing, mobility, performance, and security issues; and efforts to mitigate them have required significant effort, energy, and cost, and added significant complexity.

With the increasing challenges placed on modern networks to support new use cases (some of which require ultra-low latency) and greater connectivity, Service Providers are looking for candidate technologies that may serve their needs better than the TCP/IP-based networking used in current systems.

ISG NIN is standardizing networking technology which natively meets 21st-century requirements such as mobility, security, privacy, efficient use of spectrum, and ultra-low latency. The title, Non-IP Networking, emphasises that the technology is not dependent on IP packet formats or protocols; however, it supports the TCP/IP suite as well as other systems such as Information Centric Networking. An application wishing to access a service (or some content) identified by a URL, or a virtualized network service, can request it directly instead of first having to find an IP address that identifies a location where the service is provided.

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) can provide a flow control overlay for IP networks. Like SDN, ISG NIN’s Flexilink technology recognizes that most packets are part of a “flow”, and most of the decisions the system has to make are per-flow rather than per-packet. For instance, the “next hop” from a switch towards the destination will be the same for every packet on a flow; and packets carrying a live audio or video stream will arrive at regular intervals and require to be forwarded promptly, whereas packets from other applications with less-stringent latency demands can be queued. Flows can easily be redirected around faults or when a mobile device moves to a different cell.

In the case of SDN, the flow is identified by searching a “flow table” for a match with information that is scattered over different parts of the packet header, which involves significant per-packet processing. Flexilink packets, on the other hand, simply contain a “label” which points directly to the flow table entry.

IP packet formats are the same over the whole network; this is why, 30 years after IPv6 was first proposed, much Internet traffic is still using IPv4. Flexilink packet formats are appropriate to the physical layer technology of each link, for instance a higher-capacity link will support more flows. Introducing a link with a new format does not require any change to the rest of the system, and migration from IP to Flexilink can be done in stages as life-expired equipment is replaced.

Achieving ultra-low latency

Recognizing that networks will carry an increasing amount of time-critical traffic – not only live audio and video but also applications promised for 5G such as industrial automation and remote surgery – and that traditional store-and-forward packet networks struggle to reliably achieve the low-millisecond latencies that some of these applications require, Flexilink supports two kinds of flow. “Basic” flows provide the best-effort service with queues that is traditional for packet networks, while “guaranteed” flows provide a service for time-critical traffic. The two services can be multiplexed together so that all the capacity not occupied by guaranteed service data (including capacity reserved but not used) is available to the basic service.

To provide the lowest latency, the guaranteed service can be implemented in a way that is more like the “routers” that switch point-to-point audio and video. It can also be carried over other technologies such as TSN (Time-Sensitive Networks); the latency (which will be higher in that case) is reported in the control plane messages that set the flow up.

Our Role & Activities

We have identified a number of technical issues with the current (TCP/IP-based) technology which prevent it delivering the required levels of service without excessive complexity or, in some cases, at all.

The new protocols will provide:

virtual elimination of delays in forwarding real-world signals: not only audio and video but also tactile feedback and the position of vehicles or industrial robots multicasting of live content (such as sports events) to an unlimited number of subscribers more efficient use of spectrum and of processing power better security, both privacy and resilience to denial-of-service better performance when accessing remote content such as web pages ways of guaranteeing network service sustainability extensibility: packet formats do not have to be the same throughout the system, and introducing new features such as a new kind of addressing only affects the control plane messages What does this mean for the user?

Elimination of delays in packet forwarding equipment will make conversation more natural, especially in conference calls. A performer’s sound can be sent across the network to be mixed with other performers’ and returned to their headphones. Applications such as remote surgery become possible.

More efficient processing extends battery life in handsets.

Privacy is improved: devices do not need to have IP addresses, and a server does not need to know a client’s address or location in order to reply to its request. Before any exchange of data takes place the server can require as much or as little authentication of the client’s identity as is appropriate to the application. It will be much easier to discover where your device is sending data to.

Downloads will be faster, and there will be less “buffering delay” when watching streamed content. New business models can be explored based on improved identification of content and quality auditing.

What does it mean for the operator?

The whole system becomes much simpler and therefore cheaper to build and to operate. Many middle-box functions, such as address translation, firewalls, header compression, and transport-layer optimisers, are eliminated or incorporated into the control plane procedures. Mobility is supported natively instead of needing tunnelling layers to be added.

The service for media streams provides multicasting and ultra-low latency (typically less than 10µs per hop) as standard. As well as live broadcasting (such as of sporting events) it can be used to distribute recorded content to local caches and to distribute software updates.

Many of the protocols needed by current systems, such as DNS, ARP, SIP, SDP, and RSVP, are incorporated into the control plane procedures. This, along with a dramatic reduction in packet header sizes, reduces the amount of capacity on the air interface that is taken up by protocol overheads.

The forwarding plane can be implemented entirely in logic (hardware), and thus needs much less power than is needed for per-packet processing by software. Simplified protocols and elimination of the need for header compression reduce processing power requirements further.

How do we get there?

The new technology can be carried over IP networks, and IP packets can be carried over the new technology. Thus, the new technology can be introduced incrementally, in the form of “islands” where internal traffic benefits from the new levels of service and there is seamless transition to the legacy technology at the edge. This can be done as part of the normal processes of expanding networks and of replacing end-of-life equipment.

An example would be where a new network is being built to support 5G: core, RAN, and MEC can be implemented with the new technology. When an application connects a socket to a service, the system can check whether that service is available at the edge and if so connect directly using the new technology. This check might need more information than would be provided in the DNS look-up used in legacy systems, e.g. to see whether a cached copy of a particular piece of content is available. Otherwise, the connection goes through the User Plane Function; much of the processing of legacy packet headers is transferred from the UE to the UPF, saving battery in the UE, and the amount of processing required in the UPF is similar to the NAT procedures common in today´s Internet access.

Participation in the Non-IP Networking Industry Specification Group is open to all ETSI members as well as organizations that are not members, subject to signing ISG Agreements. For information on how to participate please contact ISGsupport@etsi.org.

Specifications

A full list of related specifications in the public domain is accessible via the NIN committee page.

ISG NIN will also act as responsible body for the maintenance of ISG NGP Deliverables if need arises. The specifications published by NGP are accessible via the standards search on our website.

Blog

Blog from the NGP Industry Specification Group now Non-IP Networking (NIN)   Subscribe to blog

The direct link to refer to this blog is https://www.etsi.org/newsroom/blogs/blog-nin


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ISG MEC is committed to produce timely and high quality specifications allowing the implementation of interoperable MEC solutions.

In order to gain time to market, to validate the specifications that are being developed, and to demonstrate the use cases that have served to extract the technical requirements, it is important to demonstrate the MEC concept as feasible and valuable to all the stakeholders in the value chain. The MEC DECODE Working Group was created to focus on easing the implementation path for vendors operators and application developers.

PoC Framework

ISG MEC has developed the MEC PoC Framework to coordinate and promote multi-vendor Proofs of Concept (PoC) illustrating key aspects of MEC technology. Proofs of Concept are an important tool to demonstrate the viability of a new technology and provide feedback to the standardization work.

The MEC PoC framework describes the process and criteria that a Proof of Concept demonstration must adhere to. A PoC proposal can be submitted by a PoC team consisting of at least one Mobile Network Operator, at least one infrastructure vendor and at least one content or application provider. PoC proposals are expected to be scoped around PoC Topics identified by ISG MEC, as specific areas, often related to a Work Item, where feedback from the PoCs is required.

The MEC wiki hosts the necessary templates for PoC proposals and reports as well as the latest details on PoC Topics and ongoing PoC projects.
MEC PoCs support the standardization work by feeding back their results and lessons learnt to ISG MEC. They help to build confidence on the viability of MEC technology and contribute to the development of a diverse and open MEC ecosystem by fostering the integration of components from different players.

CTI support

The ETSI Center for Testing and Interoperability (CTI) supports ETSI PoC Frameworks and has experience in the organization of technology evaluations and interoperability events.

This experience may be useful to assist the PoC teams with test expertise, administration and project management support.

PoC Teams may request CTI assistance by contacting CTI_Support@etsi.org.

MEC Proofs of Concept

The MEC Proofs of Concept are developed according to the ETSI ISG MEC Proof of Concept Framework. MEC Proofs of Concept are intended to demonstrate MEC as a viable technology. Results are fed back to the Industry Specification Group for Multi-access Edge Computing (ISG MEC).

Neither ETSI, its ISG MEC, nor their members make any endorsement of any product or implementation claiming to demonstrate or conform to MEC. No verification or test has been performed by ETSI on any part of these MEC Proofs of Concept.

MEC PoC Projects

PoC#1: "Video User Experience Optimization via MEC - A Service Aware RAN MEC PoC"

PoC#2: “Edge Video Orchestration and Video Clip Replay via MEC"

PoC#3: “Radio aware video optimization in a fully virtualized network"

PoC#4: "FLIPS – Flexible IP-based Services"

PoC#5: "Enterprise Services"

PoC#6: "Healthcare – Dynamic Hospital User, IoT and Alert Status management"

PoC#7: "Multi-Service MEC Platform for Advanced Service Delivery"

PoC#8: "Video Analytics" 

PoC#9: "MEC platform to enable low-latency Industrial IoT"

PoC#10: "Service Aware MEC Platform to enable Bandwidth Management of RAN"

PoC#11: “Communication Traffic Management for V2X”

PoC#12: "MEC enabled OTT business" 

PoC#13: "MEC infotainment for smart roads and city hot spots"

More details about ISG MEC PoC projects and the MEC PoC Framework on the MEC wiki.


Posted by Sabine Dahmen-Lhuissier 121909 Hits

Introduction

The world has never been more connected than it is today. The Internet has become critical to our everyday lives, for businesses and individuals, and so too has its security. With our growing dependence on networked digital systems comes an increase in the variety and scale of threats and cyber attacks.

A variety in the protective methods used by countries or organizations can make it difficult to assess risk systematically and to ensure consistent, adequate security.

Therefore, standards have a key role to play in improving cybersecurity – protecting the Internet, its communications and the businesses that rely on it – and TC CYBER is the most security-focused technical committee in ETSI.

Our Role & Activities

TC CYBER is recognized as a major trusted centre of expertise offering market-driven cyber security standardization solutions, advice and guidance to users, manufacturers, network, infrastructure and service operators and regulators. ETSI TC CYBER works closely with stakeholders to develop standards that increase privacy and security for organizations and citizens across Europe and worldwide. We provide standards that are applicable across different domains, for the security of infrastructures, devices, services, protocols, and to create security tools and techniques. Look at the TC CYBER Road map below for more details.

The Quantum-Safe Cryptography working group is a subgroup of TC CYBER; you can find out more about their work.

In addition to TC CYBER, other ETSI groups also work on standards for cross-domain cybersecurity, the security of infrastructures, devices, services and protocols and security tools and techniques. They address the following areas and more information can be found in the related technologies pages:

Cross-domain cybersecurity Information Security Indicators Encrypted traffic integration Securing technologies and systems Mobile/Wireless systems (5G, TETRA, DECT, RRS, RFID...) IoT and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Network Functions Virtualisation Intelligent Transport Systems, Maritime Broadcasting Securing Artificial Intelligence Security tools and techniques
Lawful Interception and Retained Data Digital Signatures and trust service providers Secure elements Security algorithms

Take a look at ETSI’s annual Security Week event for more on the work of ETSI in cybersecurity or watch the video from our security week:

TC CYBER Road Map

See the details of the CYBER Road Map.

Consumer IoT security

See the details of the Consumer IoT security Road Map.

Standards

A full list of related standards in the public domain is accessible via the CYBER committee page.


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Introduction

The number of connected devices in the Internet of Things is growing very fast (26 billion end 2020, 900 million five years ago). The IoT is having a transformative influence on the way we live and work in domains including connected vehicles, eHealth, home automation and energy management, public safety and industrial process control, and smart cities.

Standardizing the IoT

Smart objects produce large volumes of data. This data needs to be managed, processed, transferred and stored securely. Standardization is key to achieving universally accepted specifications and protocols for true interoperability between devices and applications.

The use of standards:

ensures interoperable and cost-effective solutions opens up opportunities in new areas allows the market to reach its full potential

The more things are connected, the greater the security risk. So, security standards are also needed to protect the individuals, businesses and governments which will use the IoT.

The ETSI IoT Week 2019 took place from 21-25 October 2019.

You missed the event? Watch the interviews and feedback in our video filmed during the event in our HQs:

 

The latest IoT Week was held on 26-30 April 2021.

Save the date: the next ETSI IoT Week 2022 is planned on 10-14 October 2002.

Our Role & Activities

The main ETSI IoT standardization activities are conducted at radio layer in 3GPP (LTE-M, NB-IoT and EC-GSM-IoT) and at service layer in oneM2M. A wide range of technologies work together to connect things in the Internet of Things (IoT). ETSI is involved in standardizing many of these technologies:

Smart Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications

ETSI is one of the founding partners in oneM2M, the global standards initiative that covers requirements, architecture, Application Programming Interface (API) specifications, security solutions and interoperability for M2M and IoT technologies.

IoT Semantic Interoperability

SAREF is our Smart Applications REFerence ontology that allows connected devices to exchange semantic information in many applications’ domains.

Context Information Management (NGSI-LD)

ETSI ISG CIM specifies protocols (NGSI-LD API) running ‘on top’ of IoT platforms and allowing exchange of data together with its context, this includes what is described by the data, what was measured, when, where, by what, the time of validity, ownership, and others. This is dramatically extending the interoperability of applications, helping smart cities (and other areas such as Smart Agriculture and Smart Manufacturing) to integrate their existing services and enable new third-party services.

Applications in the IoT

Within ETSI we are addressing various applications of IoT/M2M technology:

Smart appliances Smart grids and meters Smart cities – including networking, energy efficiency and accessibility Smart Energy, Smart Environment, Smart Building, Smart Industry and Manufacturing, Smart Agri-Food, eHealth and Ageing-Well, Wearables, Smart Water, Smart Lift and Smart Escalators eHealth Telemedicine and the Internet Clinic Medical implants Body Area Networks Pandemic protection, contact tracing Intelligent Transport Systems – including telematics and all types of communications in vehicles, between vehicles and between vehicles and fixed locations. We also address the use of Information and Communications Technologies for rail, water and air transport, including navigation systems. Wireless Industrial Automation – standards for radio equipment to be used in factories Supporting the IoT Privacy, Safety and Security for the IoT – various aspects of security such as electronic signatures, lawful interception, security algorithms and smart cards as well as cybersecurity Low power supplies in the IoT: Ultra Low Energy Digital Cordless Telecommunications (DECT™ ULE) Radio spectrum requirements – helping to find the necessary radio spectrum for connecting things wirelessly in the IoT. Embedded communications modules – We have developed a baseline specification using Surface Mount Technology. This will simplify the integration of modules from different manufacturers in a wide range of M2M applications.

Consumer IoT security Road Map

See the details of the Consumer IoT security Road Map.

Standards

A full list of related standards in the public domain is accessible via the ETSI standards search.


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Introduction

Today more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and this figure is expected to rise significantly in coming years.

This places new demands on key city services and infrastructure such as transport, energy, health care, water and waste management.

Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) play an important role in connecting these resources, securely managing the massive amounts of data generated, and providing the relevant services that are required.

A ‘smart city’ uses digital technologies to:

engage more effectively and actively with its citizens enhance the city performance and the wellbeing of the citizens reduce operational costs and the city resource consumption generate new business opportunities and increase the attractiveness of the city and much more ...

The creation of smart cities will only be achieved with a holistic approach, supported by globally acceptable standards that enable fully interoperable solutions that can be deployed and replicated at scale.

CEN-CENELEC-ETSI Sector Forum on Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities

ETSI is a member of the CEN-CENELEC-ETSI Sector Forum on Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities (SF-SSCC).

The CEN-CENELEC-ETSI SF-SSCC, created in January 2017, is a long-term joint group of the ESOs (CEN, CENELEC and ETSI) that acts as an advisory and coordinating body for European standardization activities related to smart and sustainable cities and communities.

The tasks of the group include:

Liaise with relevant international initiatives (i.e. ISO, IEC and ITU) and prepare an overview on suitable standards already publicly available at national, European and international level Analyse and recommend standards for development, implementation, adaptation, or revision by CEN, CENELEC and ETSI Organize events on standardization activities for smart and sustainable cities open to relevant stakeholders in order to collect needs and share best practice Liaise and coordinate with relevant European initiatives (such as for example the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Smart Cities) Identify and give due consideration to European innovation/research projects which might have an impact Advise stakeholders on any strategic issues and developments concerning standardization on SSCC Inform on latest legislative developments occurring at the EC level (if any) and on the status of standardization work undertaken by relevant European Technical Bodies Propose actions to raise awareness of the ESOs on the importance of standards as a key element for a smart and sustainable development of cities and communities across Europe

The SF-SSCC activities are built upon the initial results and recommendations produced by the original Smart and Sustainable Coordination Group (SSCC-CG).

Our Role & Activities

We are working on several aspects of smart cities:

Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications

M2M communications will form the foundation layer for our future world of smart devices, smart appliances (smart applications/SAREF), the smart home and smart cities. Among other things, in 2015, our Smart M2M committee (TC SmartM2M) has analyzed the impact of smart cities on the Internet of Things in an ETSI Technical Report (TR 103 290). Nowadays, Smart Cities has become the most important  interoperability Use Case for the Internet of Things since it is by default requiring a cross-domain interworking. SmartM2M provides (with oneM2M that collaborates with 3GGP) a comprehensive standardization-based solution including, among other, IoT Semantic Interoperability (SAREF).

Much of the work relating to M2M in ETSI takes place in our global standards initiative oneM2M which is developing technical specifications for a common M2M Service Layer that can be readily embedded within various hardware and software, and relied upon to connect the myriad of devices in the field with M2M application servers worldwide.

The oneM2M standards cover requirements, architecture, application programming interface (API) specifications, security solutions and mapping to common industry protocols such as CoAP, MQTT and HTTP. By building upon well-proven protocols that allow applications across industry segments to communicate with each other, oneM2M enables service providers to combine different IoT devices, technologies and applications, a critical feature in their efforts to provide services across a range of industries. oneM2M has already been used in service provider deployments in the world and in Europe for smart city and transport system deployments.

Green smart cities

Our Access, Terminals, Transmission and Multiplexing committee (TC ATTM) and particularly the working group ATTM SDMC (Sustainable Digital Multiservice Communities) is working towards the creation, development and maintenance of standards relating to the relationship between deployment of ICT systems and implementation of services within cities and communities. This committee is working on efficient ICT waste management in sustainable communities.

Our Industry Specification Group on Operational energy Efficiency for Users (ISG OEU) is supporting development of standards for efficient sustainable communities, e.g. efficient engineering and global Key Performance Indicators for green smart cities, covering both residential and office environments.

Context Information Management

Our Industry Specification Group on cross-sector Context Information Management (ISG CIM) develops technical specifications and reports to enable multiple organisations to develop interoperable software implementations of a cross-cutting Context Information Management (CIM) layer, for smart cities applications and beyond.

Standardization to meet citizen and consumer requirements

Standards are confusing for cities in the first place, and the needs of the citizen including:

usability accessibility, or data security

are not often taken into account.

ETSI’s Human Factors Technical Committee has released a Technical Report giving an overview of standardization relating to the needs of inhabitants of (or visitors to) smart cities and communities. The Report explores how links between local communities and standardization can be improved and make appropriate recommendations to standards bodies, cities and policy-makers.

See the dedicated website for more details about this project.

Standards

A list of related standards in the public domain is accessible via the ETSI standards search.


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Introduction

Smart Appliances

Currently, household appliances are responsible for about two thirds of the energy consumed by buildings. Industrial appliances are also major energy users.

In the future, domestic and industrial appliances will be intelligent, networked smart devices, forming complete energy consuming, producing and managing systems, based on the integration of products from different vendors and vertical industrial sectors. The need for all these connected appliances to be able to communicate among themselves and with the service platforms needs to be addressed. This requires open interfaces. Interoperability is thus a key factor in creating an IoT ecosystem, and the availability of a standardized solution, along with related test suites, will be the essential enabler of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Smart appliances include white goods, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and storage systems.

To ensure such systems are technically and commercially successful – and widely adopted – it must be possible to combine appliances from different vendors. These systems will also need to be able to communicate with service platforms from different energy service providers in order to manage and control energy use.

The EC, as a first step, identified an immediate need of the current market to reduce the energy utilization by managing and controlling Smart Appliances (for example, in a house or an office building) on a system level. In particular, the Industry and the EC raised the need for a common architecture with standardized interfaces and a common data model to assure interoperability. Without these two components, the current market would continue to be fragmented and powerless. Therefore, the development of a reference ontology was targeted as the main interoperability enabler for appliances relevant for energy efficiency.

From Smart Appliances to Smart Applications

Smart Appliances REFerence ontology (SAREF V1) was common to 3 domains (Energy, Environment and Buildings), the first core of SAREF (mapped into 3 applications’ domains) has been improved (SAREF V2, then V3) to enable mapping of SAREF with more Smart Applications domains (Smart City, Smart Industry and Manufacturing, Smart Agri-Food, Automotive, eHealth and Ageing-Well, Wearables, Smart Water, Smart Lift…). Like this SAREF became Smart Applications REFerence ontology (core SAREF) with its domain mapping extensions.

Our Role & Activities

ETSI Smart Machine-to-Machine communications Technical Committee (TC SmartM2M) actively supports the oneM2M global initiative, especially in relation to European Commission (EC) driven activities, bridging the EC’s needs in the M2M/IoT area and the technical work in oneM2M and other ETSI activities.

Our TC SmartM2M focus is on an application-independent ‘horizontal’ service platform with architecture capable of supporting a very wide range of services including smart metering, smart grids, eHealth, smart cities, consumer applications, car automation, smart appliances and Smart Applications (SAREF).

Initially, Smart Appliances have been specified on request of EC DG Connect. The Smart Appliances specifications were based on the oneM2M communication framework (TS 103 267) complemented with Smart Appliance REFerence (that is now Smart Applications REFerence, SAREF V3 TS 103 264) ontology. SAREF work has contributed to the foundations of the base ontology of oneM2M Release 2.

TC SmartM2M developed “SAREF ontology and oneM2M Mapping standards” and Smart Appliance testing standards. For SAREF extension investigation in the energy domain (TS 103 410-1), direct input from EEBus and Energy@home has been included in TC SmartM2M developments where Energy, Environment and Building sectors have been  part of normative work. Then more SAREF extensions were developed for Smart City, Industry and Manufacturing, Smart Agri-Food, Automotive, eHealth and Ageing-Well Wearables and Smart Water. SAREF for Smart Lift is under construction.

From Smart Meters, Smart Appliances, Smart Energy Grids to Smart Applications, SAREF is recognized as key enabler of IoT Semantic Interoperability with a growing set of enabling published standards (search ETSI standards with the keyword SAREF).

Official ETSI portal for SAREF

The official ETSI portal for SAREF contains pointers to the SAREF ontologies and SAREF-related work items.


Posted by Sabine Dahmen-Lhuissier 65141 Hits

Introduction

Body Area Network (BAN) technology uses small, low power wireless devices that can be carried or embedded inside or on the body. Applications include but are not limited to:

health and wellness monitoring sports training (e.g., to measure performance) personalized medicine (e.g., heart monitors) personal safety (e.g., fall detection)

A number of wireless BAN communication technologies have been implemented based on the existing radio technologies. However, if BAN technology is to achieve its full potential, it needs a more specific and dedicated technology, which is optimized for BAN. For example, solutions for monitoring people during exercise one or two hours a day, or a few days a week, may not be suitable for 24/7 monitoring as a part of the Internet of Things (IoT) concept.

Such a dedicated BAN technology would need features such as:

ultra-low-power radio low-complexity Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for extended autonomy enhanced robustness in the presence of interference high security, privacy and trust interoperability when communicating over heterogeneous networks in the future IoT interoperable data structures and formats

OUR ROLE & ACTIVITIES

Smart Body Area Network (BAN) technology uses small, low power devices to support a range of medical, health improvement, personal safety and wellbeing, and sport and leisure applications. However, various challenges have been identified that hinder BAN communications development. For example, solutions that may be suitable for monitoring people during exercise one or two hours a day, or a few days a week, fall short of what is needed for 24/7 monitoring in the Internet of Things (IoT). Many wireless BAN communication technologies have been implemented based on various existing radio technologies, but it needs a more specific and dedicated technology, which is optimized for BAN. This would require including features, such as ultra-low-power radio, with a lower complexity Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for extended autonomy, enhanced robustness in the presence of interference, and interoperability when communicating over heterogeneous networks in the IoT. Other key issues to be addressed include Quality of Service, security and interoperability in various levels.

ETSI TC SmartBAN has primary the responsibility to develop and to maintain ETSI Standards, Specifications, Reports, Guides and other deliverables to support the development and implementation of all Smart Body Area Network technologies (Wireless BAN, Personal BAN, Personal Networks, among others) in the application areas: health, wellness, leisure, sport and other relevant domains.

Its scope includes communication media, and associated physical layer, network layer, security, QoS and lawful intercept, and the provision of generic applications and services (e.g., web) for standardisation in Body Network Area technologies.

Future SmartBANs will exist within a wider IoT environment. Noting this coexistence, ETSI TC SmartBAN extended its work via contributions to various bodies, both within ETSI (including SmartM2M and ERM TG 30), as well as external bodies including AIOTI (Alliance for the Internet of Things Innovation), IEC SyC AAL (Active Assisted Living), Bluetooth Special Interest Group (BT SIG), H2020 ACTIVAGE (Active & Healthy Ageing IoT based solutions and services) and the ITEA’s CareWare project.

STANDARDS

A full list of related standards in the public domain is accessible via the SmartBAN committee page.


Posted by Sabine Dahmen-Lhuissier 48719 Hits

Introduction

Technology has the potential to improve the way we live and work, but it can also carry risks to the environment. The ICT industry and its customers have a responsibility to minimize the adverse impact of ICT.

One way we can reduce the impact on climate change – and at the same time reduce operational costs – is by improving the energy efficiency of ICT products and services. Standards can help achieve this goal. ETSI works on these matters also answering to EC standardization requests continuing to develop the standards needed to support the EC’s energy efficiency targets.

Our Role & Activities

Our current work on the environmental aspects of ICT equipment includes energy efficiency.

Environmental Engineering committee (TC EE)

TC EE develops standards for reducing the eco-environmental impact of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) equipment. This includes:

the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of ICT goods, networks and services methods to assess the energy efficiency of wireless access networks and equipment, core networks and wireline access equipment including Efficiency metrics/KPI definition for equipment and network network standby mode for household and office equipment Circular economy standard for ICT solutions Power feeding solutions based on higher DC voltage to reduce losses on the distribution cabling and innovative efficient storage solution

ETSI technical committee Environmental Engineering (EE) is responsible for defining the environmental and infrastructural aspects for all telecommunication equipment and its environment, including equipment installed in subscriber premises. Where ever possible this will be achieved by referencing existing international standards.

Environmental aspects considered include: 

climatic and biological conditions chemically and mechanically active substances mechanical conditions during storage, transportation and operation power supply issues including power distribution, earthing and bonding techniques thermal management for equipment and facilities noise emission of equipment. mechanical structure and physical design

TC EE and ITU-T SG5 are working together to develop technically aligned standards on energy efficiency, power feeding solution, circular economy and network efficiency KPI and eco-design requirement for ICT, with the aim to build an international eco-environmental standardization.

Access, Terminals, Transmission and Multiplexing committee (TC ATTM)

TC ATTM focuses on the ‘green’ needs of operational networks and sites and broadband transmission including:

developing global Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to provide users of ICT with the tools to monitor their eco-efficiency and energy management defining the networks connecting digital multi-services in cities, producing KPIs for monitoring the sustainability of broadband solutions improving our standards for transmission equipment to support the European Commission’s Ecodesign of Energy Related Products Directive supporting efficient ICT waste management (maintenance period and end of life)

Energy efficiency is now a key focus of TC ATTM which is defining the general landscape of work required to address the energy consumption of all telecommunications equipment and systems. TC ATTM and CENELEC are working together on broadband implementation in Europe. Energy costs continue to rise, while broadband penetration is introducing new equipment to the network architecture. Energy consumption is therefore a major consideration affecting widespread broadband deployment.

Industry Specification Group (ISG) on Operational energy Efficiency for Users (OEU)

ISG OEU is working to minimize the power consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of infrastructure, utilities, equipment and software within ICT sites and networks. This includes:

the measurement of energy consumption by IT servers, storage units, broadband fixed access and mobile access, with a view to developing global KPIs the management of the end of life of ICT equipment the definition of global KPI modelling for green smart cities

Standards

A full list of related standards in the public domain is accessible via the EE, ATTM and OEU committee pages.