June 2010
The first in the market to create the latest version of the HOPS Smart ticketing management system in accordance with ITSO specifications.
Ecebs is proud to announce the certification of its Paragon HOPS product to version 2.1.4 of the ITSO specification. The product is available now- with Nottingham City being among the first of Ecebs’ customers to take advantage of this release. The existing 2.1.3 Paragon HOPS system, already provided by Ecebs, will be smoothly updated to the new 2.1.4 version.
James Bloor, Principal Officer of Nottingham’s Citycard Scheme commented:
‘Nottingham City is delighted to be able to take advantage of the upgrades that Ecebs is providing. It ensures that our transport scheme will be aligned to the latest levels of compliance to ITSO. This places the Nottingham Citycard scheme at the forefront of the U.K. Smart card Ticketing rollout, backed by the Department For Transport’.
Version 2.1.4 of the ITSO specification was released by ITSO in February of this year. In completion of the 2.1.4 certification, Ecebs is now the first to achieve certification to both 2.1.3 specifications and 2.1.4 specifications after their release by ITSO. This clearly demonstrates Ecebs commitment to continuous improvement of its ITSO products- as part of the latest specification. As a result, the technical excellence and ITSO expertise to achieve this in just two months after the specification was published is outstanding.
The new release of Paragon to version 2.1.4 of the ITSO specification makes great sense since it provides the ITSO market with the most up-to-date features available. What does this mean for any scheme operator? By implementing Paragon Hops, a scheme operator has confidence that their operation will be executed effortlessly, leveraging on the considerable experience that Ecebs has gained from operating previous versions of the HOPS. Paragon HOPS 2.1.4 includes the updated version of IPE TYP 24 for storing ticket data for use in the rail industry and a complete reconfiguration of the remote fulfilment of ticketing has also been carried out. In addition, the facility to manage complex capping is supported, which performs an automatic ‘best value’ action for the most cost-efficient ticket.
Ecebs has strong and considerable expertise of ITSO products and technology as well as a wider knowledge of smart technology and its use in the transport industry and beyond. Ecebs created and developed the ITSO Secure Application Module (ISAM) used in all ITSO transactions, the ITSO Security Management System (ISMS), and was awarded the first HOPS certificate by ITSO. In addition, Ecebs has a range of ITSO compliant smart cards and card management and issuance products available. This latest release further strengthens the Ecebs product range and cements its place as a leader in the smart card market within the U.K.
Ecebs is uniquely positioned as a supplier of a wide range of components that are required to complete an ITSO smart ticketing environment. The HOPS itself is available in all versions as licensed software or fully outsourced and managed by Ecebs’ support team.