A solution which enables transit operators to quickly and simply integrate secure mobile ticketing and other value added services within an existing smart card ticketing validation infrastructure, has won the ‘Best Cloud Services provided by Start-Ups’ category at the EuroCloud 2016 Awards.
The Medius CloudSE solution, developed by bespoke software house Medius, uses host card emulation (HCE), to allow third party transit applications to benefit from ‘plug and play’ secure mobile functionality through a virtual secure element (SE) hosted in the cloud and accessed via secure web services.
The solution enables transit operators to provide enhanced mobile transit ticketing and other secure services, such as event ticketing or access control, while reducing development and deployment time, shortening time to market and cutting cost. Because it provides a simple-to-integrate method of storing secure data such as tickets or identity away from the device, it allows transit operators to add these services to their systems without the need to upgrade existing infrastructures for smart card based fare collection. As the solution does not require investment in a physical SE, it also removes the requirement to form multiple business agreements with issuers of hardware SEs, typically mobile operators or handset vendors, thereby simplifying the business model.
“Mobile ticketing is the obvious next step for operators who have already introduced smart card based ticketing, however many operators are actively seeking a solution to overcome the challenge of developing multiple apps for different handsets and secure element implementations, while retaining a focus on security,” said Viktor Brajak, chief operating officer of Medius. “Medius CloudSE combines the security of a virtual SE with the convenience of HCE, which permits software emulation of a traditional smart card or SE on a NFC-enabled mobile handset. This turns the device into a relay, simply routing commands from the reader to the SE in the cloud over a secure channel. Security and simplicity of deployment are fundamental to the solution and we are very proud that it has been recognised as best in class in the recent EuroCloud awards.”
Brajak concluded, “While Medius CloudSE delivers strong benefits to the transit industry for mobile ticketing, it can be used across a wide variety of added value services too, such as hotel and venue access control, event services, and retail loyalty. Wherever a smart card application exists, Medius CloudSE is a simple component that streamlines the introduction of mobile services.”
