Sophia Antipolis, France, 30 July 2025

ETSI is pleased to announce significant progress from its Technical Committee on Data Solutions (TC DATA), marking key advancements in standards for distributed data solutions, addressing quality metrics, semantic interoperability, and trusted digital frameworks. 

These efforts reinforce the foundation for reliable, secure, and cross-sector data exchange—laying the groundwork for innovation in data sovereignty and trusted data collaboration across industries.

As data volumes surge and cross-sector sharing becomes increasingly complex, TC DATA continues to enhance foundational standards to ensure data is discoverable, interoperable, and trustworthy across diverse domains and digital ecosystems. To meet these evolving demands, the committee’s latest work programme includes:

  • A landscape analysis of existing data standards to identify gaps and ensure wide coverage of essential technical requirements for secure and interoperable distributed data sharing.
  • Development of quality metrics for data trustworthiness, focusing on attributes such as completeness, accuracy, bias, integrity, and reliability—thus laying the groundwork for standards that help organisations determine and improve the health of their data, particularly in AI-driven contexts.
  • Exploring the convergence of ETSI next generation service interfaces (NGSI-LD) and the smart applications reference ontology (SAREF), two complementary frameworks that enable connected infrastructures (smart cities, IoT systems etc.) to seamlessly exchange and interpret data across platforms.
  • A new study on data governance use-cases generated by sensing technologies to inform standards for privacy, trust, and interoperability across diverse settings including urban environments, manufacturing, and transport networks.
  • Continuing work related to digital wallets and smart contracts aligned with the European Digital Identity Regulation, eIDAS2.
  • Continued collaboration with fellow standards organisations CEN and CENELEC to address the technical aspects of the EU Data Act

Diego Lopez, Chair of ETSI TC DATA, explains: “This first phase of TC DATA work reflects our commitment to technical excellence in support of Europe’s data strategy. By aligning data standards with real-world scenarios—from distributed ledgers to semantic frameworks—we’re enabling next-generation information exchanges that are secure, interoperable, and built on trust, driving innovation across public and private sectors."

TC DATA’s initiatives also continue to reflect strong alignment with EU priorities. These include data quality, semantic interoperability, responsible governance, and digital sovereignty. The committee will play a pivotal role in defining robust, scalable technical standards that underpin emerging legislation and industrial innovation, supported by network services and spanning a wide range of application environments, ranging from transport to healthcare, and including the telecom sector itself.

As demand for trusted distributed data access accelerates, TC DATA is expanding its collaboration with global partners, standards organisations, and research networks to help position Europe at the forefront of secure, interoperable, and forward-looking data solutions—driving innovation and harmonising regulatory practices across sectors.

About ETSI

ETSI is one of only three bodies officially recognised by the European Union as a European Standards Organisation (ESO). It is an independent, not-for-profit body dedicated to ICT standardisation. With over 900 member organisations from more than 60 countries across five continents, ETSI offers an open and inclusive environment for members representing large and small private companies, research institutions, academia, governments, and public organisations. ETSI supports the timely development, ratification, and testing of globally applicable standards for ICT‑enabled systems, applications, and services across all sectors of industry and society.

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