BlackBerry offering up secure Smart City transportation solution

(source: Blackberry/Facebook)

BlackBerry has announced that it’s helping accelerate the development of smart cities and intelligent transportation systems with its Security Credential Management System (SCMS) service by offering up its solution to automakers and public sectors with no service fees.

The company’s SCMS service, based on its Certicom technology, provides the mechanism for vehicles and infrastructure, such as traffic lights, to exchange information in a trustworthy and private manner using digital certificates.

“The future of autonomous vehicles cannot be realized until intelligent transportation systems are put in place,” said John Chen, executive chairman and CEO, BlackBerry, in a company 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.”

The company’s first project using the new SCMS service will be in partnership with Invest Ottawa, who will leverage it within a secure 16-km road autonomous vehicle (AV) test track that resembles a miniature city, complete with pavement markings, traffic lights, stop signs, and pedestrian crosswalks.

“We are delighted to partner with BlackBerry to demonstrate this SCMS service in a variety of V2X [vehicle-to-infrastructure] applications,” said Kelly Daize, director of the CAV Program at Invest Ottawa, in the release. “Our integrated public and private AV test tracks are equipped with GPS, DSRC, Wi-Fi, 4G/LTE and 5G, making this the first AV test environment of its kind in North America. We look forward to leveraging the world-class security and analytic capabilities of BlackBerry and making them available to innovators, firms, and regions to accelerate the secure deployment of AVs, Intelligent Transportation Systems, and smart cities.”