The reports cover data record compliance to regulation, application scenarios and smart contracts.
In the report entitled, ETSI GR PDL 002 - Applicability and compliance to data processing requirements, it describes the significance of the conduits used to connect data sources like sensors, and gateways, to distributed ledgers in utility and related industries. It also defines how regulatory conditions for data infrastructure security and privacy can be met.
“Most ledgers in ICT have been centralised so far, but the recent approaches based on distributed ledgers provide higher openness and better resiliency,” said Diego Lopez, chair of ETSI ISG PDL.
Its ETSI GR PDL 003 report outlines the application scenarios and operational requirements for permissioned ledgers to help telecom operators, Internet service providers OTTs implement the technology. This includes provision models that emphasises as-a-service models and PDL infrastructure governance.
The last report, ETSI GR PDL 004, details an architecture and functional framework for smart contracts and their planning, coding and testing. The smart contract is a computer program stored in a distributed ledger system and if they are not well planned, designed, coded and tested, they can leave the system vulnerable to external attacks and internal errors.
“Specifications on detailed aspects of PDL are expected to follow soon; they will enable industries to develop interoperable solutions for permissioned distributed ledgers,” added Raymond Forbes, vice chair of ETSI ISG PDL.
Lastly, the ETSI ISG PDL lays the foundations for the operation of permissioned distributed ledgers best suited for business and governmental use. PDL enables lower cost and delay for recording a transaction, lower cost of a consensus algorithm, offline operation and the fairness properties among participants. Legal benefits include the support from external legal agreements or the regulatory enforcement in critical sectors.
