Cubic Wins Innovation Award for Mobile Point of Sale Solution at Cartes 2012 in Paris

Nov. 12, 2012
Cubic Transportation Systems’ Mobile Point of Sale Application has been named the winner of the 2012 Sesames Award in the category of Trusted Internet/Authentication at the Cartes exhibition and conference in Paris.

Cubic Transportation Systems’ Mobile Point of Sale Application has been named the winner of the 2012 Sesames Award in the category of Trusted Internet/Authentication at the Cartes exhibition and conference in Paris.

A joint submission of Cubic and NXP Semiconductors N.V., the solution creates the secure use of personal mobile phones to top-up contactless transit farecards. Cubic’s security architecture ensures complete security for the transit operator, the mobile operator, the payment source and the transit rider/payment account holder. This solution qualified for the award through its integration of authentication and encryption technologies, wireless mobile networks, Cubic’s cloud-based payment server, NXP-developed Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and the Internet. It enables farecard loading without exposing the security keys and/or fare algorithms to the device.

Key benefits for transport operators and their customers include real-time delivery of fare products to cards, an ongoing load service that reduces the need for riders to seek out physical load locations/terminals, and operational cost reductions to transport operators associated with cash collection, terminal deployment/maintenance and retail network management.

The solution leverages existing Cubic patents, software and security architecture combined with NXP-developed NFC technology that resides in a broad range of commercial mobile devices.

Cubic’s Mobile Point of Sale (MPOS) application will allow expanded flexibility and convenience for transit riders who will be able to use a mobile app to make fare product selections, select funding sources, make payments, and top up their cards with additional value simply by tapping it to their phone upon completion of a purchase. This solution is seen by Cubic as a complement to emerging solutions that are designed to place a virtual smart card in an NFC mobile phone. In-phone transit payment solutions may include some cost, so consumers wishing to keep their contactless fare payment card can avoid additional payments by using their NFC phone as a load terminal.

The technology will also provide a bridging solution for any NFC platforms that require more time for installation. With a MPOS solution, any NFC device regardless of mobile operating system or secure element configuration can facilitate the topping up of a transit card by simply downloading the app from the application store.

“Cubic is honored to receive this award and recognition for a solution that soon will be standard for transit customers as NFC technology becomes common in mobile phones and smart handsets,” said Steve Shewmaker, president of Cubic Transportation Systems. “Cubic and NXP have a long history of collaboration on contactless fare programs with the majority of Cubic’s installed contactless systems using various generations of NXP technology for contactless ticketing solutions.”

About the Author

Debra Montner | Principal

Montner & Associates is a high-tech PR firm. Its clients provide infrastructure, devices, platforms and applications to other businesses.