Cable / Telecom News

BlackBerry test drives new traffic technology

Autonomous vehicle.jpg

WATERLOO – BlackBerry is rolling out a new service designed for smart cities that provides the mechanism for vehicles and infrastructure, such as traffic lights, to exchange information in a secure manner using digital certificates.

The company said Monday that its Security Credential Management System (SCMS) service is available now at no charge for automakers and public offices involved in smart city and connected vehicle pilots.  The service will ensure that users can trust the validity of information received from other systems, such as roadway infrastructure, traffic management centers, and wireless mobile devices.

"The future of autonomous vehicles cannot be realized until intelligent transportation systems are put in place," said BlackBerry executive chairman and CEO John Chen, in the news release.  "By removing barriers such as security, privacy, and cost, we believe our SCMS service will help accelerate the many smart city and connected vehicle pilot programs taking place around the world."

BlackBerry added that the company's first project using the new SCMS service will be in partnership with Invest Ottawa, which will leverage it within a secure 16-kilometre road autonomous vehicle test track that resembles a miniature city, complete with pavement markings, traffic lights, stop signs, and pedestrian crosswalks.

"BlackBerry's commitment to advancing Smart Cities is yet another step forward for Canadian Innovation”, added Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains.  “Building on Canada's promising advancements in the field of autonomous vehicles, it will help our communities use information and communications technology in a way that is secure and safe to improve their residents' lives."

Based on BlackBerry's Certicom technology, the SCMS service and offers a secure and reliable hosted Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) which can manage certificates on behalf of an organization or an entire ecosystem.  BlackBerry can also support hybrid SCMS solutions optimized for high-volume vehicle production.

www.BlackBerry.com