Buenos Aires’ Largest Toll Concessionaire, Ausol Autopistas del Sol, Selects TransCore’s RFID Technology for Next Generation Electronic Toll Collection System

Ausol Autopistas del Sol SA, the largest toll concessionaire in Argentina that supports a 120 km roadway network and more than 900,000 vehicles per day, selects TransCore’s radio frequency identification (RFID) eGo Plus multiprotocol windshield sticker tags and multiprotocol Encompass 6 reader technology to upgrade its current system in use since 1996.

The contract includes 150 Encompass 6 readers and the potential over the next three years of more than 200,000 sticker tags. Initial system installation and integration will be complete by first quarter 2011. TransCore technology will now be interoperable with all nine of the separately owned toll roads in Buenos Aires.

After months of competitive technology review, Ausol chose TransCore technology based on TransCore’s 99 + percent transaction accuracy, essential for financial exchanges; multilevel security encryption, which other sticker tag technology does not provide; proven multiprotocol sticker tag technology with a global distribution of more than 15 million eGo and eGo Plus transponders; and the company’s 15-year history in Argentina through its regional affiliate SIC TransCore Latin America.

“After more than 14 years with our legacy electronic toll collection system, choosing a migration path to next generation technology was essential to enhance Ausol’s service to its customers,” explained Marcelo Fernandez, CIO for Ausol Autopistas del Sol SA. “TransCore’s ability to provide interoperability among the nine toll roads throughout Buenos Aires will be particularly convenient to our customers.”

Interoperability allows motorists to travel throughout the Buenos Aires toll road network using a single ETC tag and access the financial district, automatic cashless parking payment, access control in local country clubs and gated communities, building complexes, bus stations, automate airport ground transportation management, and was even used to purchase gasoline at stations throughout the toll roadway system.

Ricardo Echandi, president of SIC TransCore Latin America, added, “As we become an increasingly cashless and mobile society – enjoying the benefits of wireless payment of tolls and wireless access control – choosing technology that provides the security and accuracy necessary for increased functionality over the next decade is crucial.”

The eGo Plus sticker tag is a 915 MHz radio frequency programmable, beam-powered, windshield-mounted tag. Packaged as a flexible sticker, this tag is ideal for applications that require low-cost, easily installed tags. This tag supports Super eGo (SeGo), eGo, and ATA protocols. The tag is suitable for a wide variety of automatic vehicle identification (AVI) transportation applications, including electronic toll collection, airport/ground transportation management systems, parking access and security access applications.

Using an RFID tag-on-a-chip ASIC, the eGo Plus sticker tag offers a read range of up to 31.5 feet (9.6 meters) and 2048-bit read/write memory at a fraction of the cost of older, less flexible RFID technology. The tag provides the capability to read, write, rewrite or permanently lock individual bytes.

The TransCore eGo Plus sticker tag, in conjunction with TransCore readers, enables advanced security techniques that ensure a tag’s authenticity while preventing data corruption and/or alteration. In addition, tag cloning, spoofing, copying, or duplicating is prevented. The eGo Plus sticker tag supports factory programming of fixed data fields that are locked at the factory and cannot be reprogrammed.