ISO 21217:2020 describes the communications reference architecture of nodes called "ITS station units" designed for deployment in intelligent transport systems (ITS) communication networks. The ITS station reference architecture is described in an abstract manner. While this document describes a number of ITS station elements, whether or not a particular element is implemented in an ITS station unit depends on the specific communication requirements of the implementation.

This document also describes the various communication modes for peer-to-peer communications over various networks between ITS communication nodes. These nodes can be ITS station units as described in this document or any other reachable nodes.

This document specifies the minimum set of normative requirements for a physical instantiation of the ITS station based on the principles of a bounded secured managed domain.