European ETSI Establishes TC NET, Focusing on Federated Network-Edge-Cloud AI Standardization

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has announced the establishment of a new technical committee focused on the standardization of federated networks, edge, cloud, and artificial intelligence technologies. Named TC NET, the committee aims to drive the development of digital infrastructure specifications supporting next-generation connectivity and computing services, covering Europe and the global scope.

TC NET will study how to develop globally applicable technical specifications and standards to achieve the logical integration of computing and AI resources with connectivity technologies. Its work aims to drive the transformation of network operations towards autonomy, intent-based control, and continuous optimization. The importance of these capabilities is increasing as networks become more distributed, data-intensive, and increasingly reliant on AI-driven operations.

The main responsibilities of this technical committee include: defining the architecture of a federated continuum that supports seamless consumption of resources by applications and services across cloud, network, and device domains, along with related open APIs, data models, and interoperability mechanisms; developing frameworks for integrating and managing AI resources, covering inter-AI interactions and agent-based network operations; standardizing interfaces for reliable execution, workload isolation, and lifecycle management in heterogeneous environments; providing solutions and compliance guidelines for developers, and supporting proof-of-concept, interoperability activities, and pre-standardization testing; coordinating with global standardization bodies such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), oneM2M, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC), and relevant open-source communities to ensure consistency and avoid duplication.

The work of TC NET will complement 3GPP and collaborate with other technical groups within ETSI focusing on areas such as network security, data, emergency communications, lawful interception, AI security, optical fiber technology, quantum key distribution, and software-defined networking. The first meeting of TC NET is scheduled for October 7 to 9, 2026, during which leaders will be elected, an initial work plan will be agreed upon, and foundational specifications guiding its activities for the coming years will be developed.