Signicat has joined the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), the recognised standards body for electronic communications. As part of the technical committee on Electronic Signatures and Infrastructure (ESI), Signicat will help create and shape the standards for digital signatures and trust services.
ETSI is officially recognised by the EU as one of three European Standards Organisations (ESO), with a focus on broadcasting, telecommunications and other electronic communications networks and services. ETSI produces “harmonised standards” that support European regulation and enable manufacturers and suppliers to prove that their products and services meet these regulations.
ESI is the technical committee responsible for the standardisation of European digital signature and trust services. The standards produced by ESI are designed to meet the demands of eIDAS regulation, ensuring interoperability across borders, and be applicable beyond Europe.
Signicat—already standards-compliant—will be able to share its experience and knowledge of electronic signatures and digital identity to help guide the development of these standards. Currently in development are standards for signature validation services, which specify how a signed document will be sent to a trusted service, returning a signature validation report.
“The work of ETSI, ESI and eIDAS is solving the fragmentation that currently exists across Europe, and will make using digital trust services across the continent simple,” said John Erik Setsaas, VP of Identity and Innovation, Signicat. “Our membership of the technical committee that drives the creation of these standards gives us an opportunity to influence their development, bringing our first-hand experience of creating trust services that work across borders.”
