Terms of Reference for the ISG on
Quantum Key Distribution
1. References
ToRs clause 9.3.9 Responsibilities of the
Director-General "…taking decisions on the creation or cessation of Industry
Specification Groups, approving their terms of reference and reviewing their
progress and work programmes…".
TWP clause 3 Operation of Industry Specification
Groups
2. Rationale
Based on the outcome of the EC FP6-project SECOQC (Secure
Communication based on Quantum Cryptography), an Industry Specification Group (ISG)
of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) shall bring
together the important European actors from science, industry, and commence to
address standardisation issues in quantum cryptography, and quantum technology
in general.
During recent years quantum cryptography has been the
object of a vivid activity and rapid progress, and it is now extending into a
competitive industry with commercial products. Quantum Key Distribution is a
cryptographic primitive. Analysing the cryptographic implications of Quantum Key
Distribution is a very complex task. It requires a combination of knowledge
belonging to separate academic and industry communities, ranging from classical
cryptography to fundamental quantum mechanics and network security.
Many countries outside Europe have already made efforts to
kick-off national standardisation for quantum technologies. Some companies in
those countries are even aiming for de facto standards, organising workshops
promoting their solutions.
None of these initiatives have moved beyond the
identification of a need for standardisation yet.
Several European SMEs have based their business models on
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). In addition a number of industrial players, from
both ETSI members and non-ETSI members have already heavily invested in QKD R&D
as part of projects under the umbrella of the EC Framework Programs 6 and 7.
The FP6 SECOQC project, for example, has 8 members or applicant members of ETSI
as partners, most of whom are driving the establishment of the ISG at ETSI, and
is the leading European research activity on QKD.
This makes it clear that there is increasing interest in
standardization for quantum key distribution, and the window of opportunity for
ETSI to lead such work is closing. There is now a critical mass of interested
parties in Europe.
3. Terms of Reference for ETSI ISG QKD (Quantum Key Distribution)
[TWP D.3, Part A a)]
Scope:
To develop GSs (ETSI Group Specifications) describing
quantum cryptography for ICT networks. Quantum Key Distribution is the essential
credential in order to use quantum cryptography on a broad basis. It is the main
task of the QKD ISG to specify a system for Quantum Key Distribution and its
environment.
The activities of the QKD ISG will be performed in close
co-operation with relevant standards activities within and outside ETSI.
External relationships will be established where and when ever needed, Formal
relationships will be established using the normal ETSI processes via the ETSI
Secretariat.
Membership:
Membership of the QKD is open to ETSI members and
applicants for membership, who have signed the ISG agreement.
Non-members of ETSI may not become members of the ISG but
may participate in the ISG according to the rules as described in clause 3.4 of
the ETSI Technical Working Procedures (TWP). Participation of non-members of
ETSI is subject to acceptance of the QKD ISG Participant Agreement, and payment
of a per-meeting participation fee as described in the QKD ISG Participant
Agreement.
Further to the conditions as described in clause 3.4 of the
ETSI Technical Working Procedures. and the signing of the QKD ISG Participant
Agreement, the Participant Agreement will be is terminated if the participant
has not participated in 2 successive meetings.
Dues:
Dues for membership and operation are fixed on an annual
basis by the members of the ISG, based on the costs they anticipate to incur.
Duties and Rights of Members:
ISG Members have the duty to constructively cooperate on
the development of QKD Group Specifications.
ISG Members have the right to cast their vote on the
approval of a specification when necessary, and in other instances when
decisions are required. ISG Members have the right to appeal directly to the
ETSI Board to challenge a Chairman's decision.
Preparation of Group Specifications:
Group specifications are prepared within the ISG or within
specific working groups. Working groups are chaired by working group chairs, who
are appointed according to the rules of operation of the ISG. All draft
specifications must be approved by the ISG members using the decision making
process detailed in the rules of operation of the ISG. If a specification is
prepared in a working group and fails to be approved by the members, it is
referred back to the working group.
Operational issues (where different from the normal TWP)
The ISG shall use as its working procedures the ETSI
Technical Working Procedures, with the following modifications.
TWP 3.4 Participation in the work of the Industry Specification
Group
The text of clause 3.4 of the ETSI Technical Working
Procedures is modified as indicated below:
On an exceptional and temporary
basis, Observers and non-members which have applied to attend Industry
Specification Group meetings, may be invited or authorized by the Chairman to
attend meetings of an Industry Specification Group, provided that the presence
of this Observer or non-member is justified by a legitimate interest with regard
to the work currently in progress. The authorization or refusal of the Chairman
shall be made to such an applicant in writing and shall contain appropriate
justification of the Chairman's decision. The Industry Specification Group
Chairman shall notify the ETSI Director-General of the decision. Observers or
non-members authorized to attend Industry Specification Group meetings may
participate without the right to vote but shall pay a "per meeting fee", to be
specified in the ISG Participant Agreement.
The Director-General may
authorize the provisional participation of applicants for full or associate ETSI
membership within the Industry Specification Group before the application for
membership is formally approved by the General Assembly.
Further to the
conditions as described in clause 3.4 of the ETSI Technical Working Procedures.
and the signing of the QKD ISG Participant Agreement, the following rules of
validity apply:
The Participant Agreement
will be terminated if the participant has not participated in 2
successive meetings. A revocation notice under 9 (c) of the ISG Participant
Agreement will be sent to the participant following the opening of the third
meeting at which the participant has not participated.
Remote participation in Industry
Specification Group meetings (e.g. audio conference, webcast, etc.) should be
permitted whenever technically possible. Such participation should, at least, be
on the basis of complete agenda items and not misused to influence the outcome
of votes where the remote participant has not been involved in the preceding
discussions.
TWP 3.7 Decision Making
The decision making procedures as detailed in clause 1.7
shall be used, with the following modifications:
1.7 Decision making
1.7.1 Principles of
decision making
The
ISG shall endeavour to reach Consensus on all issues, including the
approval of draft ETSI deliverables and the adoption of Group
Specifications.Consensus cannot be achieved, the Chairman can
decide to take a vote which may be performed by a secret ballot. A vote may be
conducted during an ISG meeting or by correspondence.
Where voting is used, vote
results shall be evaluated by the Chairman on the basis of one ISG
member, one vote. ISG participants do not have the right to vote.
Decisions concerning (i) the ISG Budget under Article
3.1(b) of the ISG Agreement, (ii) Additional
Costs under Article 3.1(c) of the ISG Agreement,
and (iii) the allocation of costs among members of the ISG under Article 3.2
of the ISG Agreement, require unanimous support. Otherwise, a
proposal shall be deemed to be approved if 71 % of
the votes cast are in favour. Abstentions or failure to submit a vote shall not
be included in determining the number of votes cast.
For interpreting the result of an election for an ISG
official a simple majority of the votes cast shall be used
1.7.1.1 Voting during a Technical Body meeting
The following procedures apply
for voting during an ISG meeting:
- before voting, a clear definition of the issues shall be provided
by the chairman;
- voting members shall only be entitled to one vote per member;
- if a voting member has more than one representative present, only
one representative may vote;
- if manual voting procedures are used, each voting member may only
cast the vote once; if electronic voting
procedures are used, votes may be changed prior to the closure of the vote;
- ISG members are only eligible for voting (voting members), if they
have been present during at least two out of the previous 3 meetings;
- voting by proxy is not permitted;
- there are no quorum requirements
- the voting weight shall be 1 per voting member;
- the result of the vote shall be recorded in the meeting report.
1.7.1.2 Voting by correspondence
The following procedures apply
for voting by correspondence:
- before voting, a clear definition of the issues shall be provided
by the Chairman and disseminated to all on the ISG membership list;
- the voting period shall be defined by the ISG Chairman and
communicated to all on the Industry Specification Group membership list;
- ISG members are only eligible for voting (voting members), if they
have been present during at least two out of the previous 3 meetings;
- voting members shall only be entitled to one vote per member;
- electronic voting only shall be used for voting by correspondence;
- the voting weight shall be 1 per voting member;
- there are no quorum requirements;
- at the end of the voting period the Chairman shall count the votes
as described in clause 1.7.1;
- the result of the vote should be disseminated to everybody on the
ISG membership list within 15 days.
1.7.1.3 Voting for the election of a Technical Body official
For the purpose of electing any
ISG official the procedures given in clauses 1.7.1, 1.7.1.1 and 1.7.1.2
shall apply.
In the case where there is more
than one candidate, a secret ballot shall be used. For interpreting the result
of an election for an ISG official the candidate obtaining the highest
number of votes in the ballot is elected.
The ISG Chairman shall be
responsible for the voting process and shall ensure that confidentiality is
maintained.
If the vote is conducted during
an ISG meeting only the final result shall be recorded in the meeting
report.
If the vote is conducted by
correspondence only the final result of the vote shall be disseminated.
1.7.2 Appealing against
a Chairman's decision
Any ISG member who is against
the Chairman's ruling on a vote may submit its case to the Board for decision.
In such cases the member shall also inform the ISG Chairman.
When the ISG Chairman has
made a ruling, his decision shall be taken as the basis for future operations,
unless overturned by the Board.
Quantum cryptography has great potential to become the key
technology for securing confidentiality and privacy of communication in the
future ICT world and thus to become the driver for the success of a series of
services in the field of e-government, e-commerce, e-health, transmission of
biometric data, intelligent transport systems and many others.
Its power stems from the fact that quantum communication
allows for a new primitive, which permits two parties to establish a secret key
from a short pre-shared secret and a public exchange, i.e. something which was
never possible with classical, non-quantum means.
Quantum cryptography is considered the only truly secure
key-distribution technology (except for secret courier), while conventional
asymmetrical cryptography, which is almost exclusively used for key distribution
nowadays, is likely to be rendered insecure by the advent of extremely powerful
computers[1],
including quantum computers. The security of quantum cryptography instead does
not depend on the limitation of an attacker's computing power. It is secure
against attackers with arbitrary classical or quantum computing power, if side
channels are well controlled.
Successfully transferring quantum cryptography out of the
controlled and trusted environment of experimental laboratories into the real
world with business requirements, malevolent attackers, and societal and legal
norms to be respected, calls for special provisions. These provisions, though
crucial for successful deployment, have not been sufficiently addressed yet. The
ETSI QKD on quantum cryptography wants to shift the focus from development in
laboratories to the real life environment.
A number of industrial players, both ETSI members and
non-members, have already heavily invested in QKD R&D as part of projects under
the umbrella of the EU Framework Programs 6 and 7. The FP6 SECOQC project, for
example, has 8 members or applicant members of ETSI as partners, most of whom
are driving the establishment of the ISG at ETSI, and is the leading European
research activity on QKD.
5. Why any overlapping or complementary elements (with reference to
existing work or Terms of Reference of any existing Technical Committee or
Project) is regarded as desirable [TWP D.3, Part A c)]
There are no overlapping elements in ETSI.
The foundation of this QKD ISG comes from a standardization
need created in the FP6 project SECOQC.
ETSI groups such as the OCG sub-group on Security (OCG SEC)
or TC ESI may be interested in following the work of the ISG, and suitable
liaisons will be established as applicable.
6. Time plan [TWP D.3, Part A d)]
The duration of activity of this QKD ISG is planned to last
for a minimum of 2 years after kick-off.
7. Chairmanship [TWP D.3, Part A e)]
Mr Thomas Laenger of ARC has accepted to stand as convenor
for the first meetings. The Collective Letter announcing the first meeting will
include a call for candidates for the Chairmanship. If it is not possible to
appoint a permanent Chairman at the first meeting then the meeting shall appoint
a convenor for the second meeting.
8. Resource requirements [TWP D.3, Part A f)]
No resource requirements, beyond the "basic administrative
support" provided by the ETSI Secretariat to ISGs, have been identified.
Further resource requirements may be identified from time to time by the ISG
members, who will decide on the funding arrangements as required.
9. ETSI Secretariat resources [TWP D.3, Part A g)]
“Basic administrative support” will be
provided by the ETSI Secretariat, e.g.:
- info/meeting/document handling area on the ETSI Portal.
- document storage area on the ETSI DOCBOX server.
- e-mail lists provision
- entry of the Work Items into the WPM database (provided by ESP).
- processing/publication of ETSI Deliverables (providing they have
respected the ETSI Drafting Rules).
- a support officer will be allocated to provide guidance and
assistance to the ISG.
Support for meetings will be
provided when the meeting is held at the ETSI Headquarters, e.g.:
- meeting rooms in ETSI premises.
- meeting support for invitations, badges, etc in ETSI premises.
- tea/coffee in ETSI premises.
Meetings held outside of the ETSI Headquarters shall be
supported by the hosting member organization.
10. QKD ISG membership agreement [TWP D.3, Part A h)]
See separate document.
11. ETSI full and/or associate members having declared their
willingness to provide resources [TWP D.3, Part B a)]
The following members have indicated that they are willing
to support the QKD ISG (at least four required):
ARC
ENST-GET
European Space Agency
Facultad de Informatica, Universidad
Politecnica de Madrid
Hewlett-Packard
idQuantique S.A.
QinetiQ Ventures
SmartQuantum
Swisscom
Telefonica S.A.
Thales
Toshiba Research Europe
12. Planned deliverables and their delivery dates shall be identified [TWP
D.3, Part B b)]
Within two years the ISG aims to deliver the following ETSI
Group Specifications:
‘Collection of QKD security requirements for different user
groups’
‘QKD user application interface’
‘QKD security objectives’
‘QKD components and internal interfaces’
In addition, the QKD ISG will request ICT Action Grant
funding from the European Commission in order to develop the following ETSI
Group Specifications:
‘Synoptic collection of security proofs’
‘Promoters and inhibitors of QKD’
‘The prospects of QKD in Europe’
The detailed work programme of the QKD ISG, including exact
titles, scopes, timescales and supporting members, will be established at the
first meetings of the ISG
13. Internal organization [TWP D.3, Part B c)]
No internal organization or Working Groups have yet been
identified. This will depend on the results of the initial work of the QKD ISG.
14. Any committee/project-external ETSI resources required (i.e.
outside those provided by the Industry Specification Group participants) shall
be specified [TWP D.3, Part B d)]
A special Task Force consisting of scientific experts for
QKD will be required. Funding for this STF has been requested from the European
Commission, where the request is currently under investigation.
The deliverables which are planned for development by this
STF are identified in clause 13 above. If the STF financing is not received,
the ISG may attempt to develop the specifications themselves. No request for
direct ETSI funding will be made.
15. Maintenance arrangements for deliverables shall be specified [TWP
D.1, Part B e)]
The maintenance of any deliverables will be assured by the
QKD ISG. At the end of the work the QKD ISG shall define the follow-on
responsibility for any required maintenance.
16. The relationship with ETSI Technical Organisation shall be
specified [TWP D.1, Part B f)]
ETSI groups such as the OCG sub-group on Security (OCG SEC)
or TC ESI may be interested in following the work of the ISG, and suitable
liaisons will be established as applicable.
[1]
see, for instance, the SECOQC white paper, available at
http://www.secoqc.net/downloads/secoqc_crypto_wp.pdf
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