BlackBerry unveils secure smart-city traffic technology service
WATERLOO — BlackBerry Inc. is attempting to aid in the creation of smart cities with a new service that provides the infrastructure for vehicles and traffic lights to exchange information in a secure manner.
The Waterloo-based tech company says it will not charge service fees for automakers and public offices involved in smart city and connected vehicle pilots to use the Security Credential Management System service.
BlackBerry says the service is necessary in a smart city for ensuring that users can trust the validity of information received from other systems.
“The future of autonomous vehicles cannot be realized until intelligent transportation systems are put in place,” John Chen, BlackBerry’s chief executive officer, said in a 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 says its service will first be used in conjunction with Invest Ottawa, which will leverage it for a 16-kilometre road autonomous vehicle test track.
The track will resemble a miniature city, complete with pavement markings, traffic lights, stop signs and pedestrian crosswalks. The announcement of the service further signals BlackBerry’s shift away from its past life as a smartphone company and toward software and security services, including its QNX business, which is focused on the automotive sector.