Radio Frequency Identification Technology for Logistics, Tagging and EPC

Southern California drivers to pay tolls with Sirit RFID transponders

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Sirit has been notified that it will continue to supply the Transportation Corridor Agencies (“TCA”) in Southern California with RFID technology for the toll collections. The company reports that the three year contract is expected to generate US$10.6 million.


Sirit Selected for US$10.6M Renewal Toll Contract

TORONTO, June 7 /CNW/ - Sirit Inc. (TSX: SI), a leading provider of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, announced today that it has been notified of the intent to award a contract worth approximately US$10.6 million over three years from the Transportation Corridor Agencies (“TCA”) in Southern California. Upon Board approval, Sirit will enter into an agreement to supply its Title 21-based RFID transponders following the completion of the existing contract. Sirit anticipates the new contract to be approved on or about June 14, 2007 with shipments to begin in July 2007.

“Sirit is proud to be the successful bidder for this contract and to continue our strong partnership in supplying our RFID toll technology to TCA,” commented John Freund, Vice President, AVI Solutions, Sirit Inc. “Sirit continues to be the only Company in North America to offer toll solutions based solely on an open standard which compels us as an organization to compete every day by providing best in class technology, pricing and service to our customers.”

“Sirit continues to be an important partner to the success and growth of TCA’s toll system in Southern California,” stated David Armijo, Chief Toll Operations Officer, Transportation Corridor Agencies. “A key aspect to Sirit’s successful bid was their track record in providing TCA with cost competitive products and superior customer service. We look forward to extending our 10 year relationship with this industry leader.”

About Sirit Inc.

Sirit Inc. (TSX: SI) is a leading provider of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) solutions worldwide. Harnessing the power of Sirit’s enabling-RFID technology, customers are able to more rapidly bring high quality RFID solutions to the market with reduced initial engineering costs. Sirit’s products are built on more than 13 years of RF domain expertise addressing multiple frequencies (LF/HF/UHF), multiple protocols and are compliant with global standards. Sirit’s broad portfolio of products and capabilities are easily customized to address new and traditional contactless market applications including Near Field Communication, Supply Chain & Logistics, Cashless Payment (including Electronic Tolling), Access Control, Automatic Vehicle Identification, Inventory Control & Management, Asset Tracking and Product Authentication. [end] 

The Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council has published a white paper examining how the transit industry can best make use of NFC technology.

“One of the major challenges facing transit agencies today is how to capitalize on the ever-growing popularity of mobile phones with a solid mobile strategy,” said Transportation Council Chairman Craig Roberts. “This white paper builds on the knowledge base developed in earlier white papers to foster a greater understanding of NFC technology, explain its role in the transit industry, and shed light on key issues facing the transit industry in developing a mobile strategy.”

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UK-regional bus group Bluestar has launched a new transit card for discounted weekly and monthly travel on its network, according to Southern Daily Echo.

The new card enables cashless fare for any service on the Bluestar Network in Southampton, Eastleigh and Winchester. It also supports travel on Wilts & Dorset buses and Southern Vectis on the Isle of Wight, both of which are owned and operated by Go-Ahead Group.

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Mexico’s Federal Tolling Authority - Caminos y Puentes Federales de Ingresos y Servicios Conexos (CAPUFE) - has awarded a contract to system integrator Axiompass to install a toll-free system for residents using Sirit RFID readers.

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Texas Instruments (TI) introduced a pair of encapsulated RFID mini-transponders designed for applications in animal tagging and asset tracking.

The 12mm TRPGR30TGC and TRPGP40TGC mini-transponders were developed to enable users a battery-free solution for embedding RFID tags into smaller objects across a broader range of applications. These transponders come ready-to-use and are 100 percent backwards compatible with all of TI’s RFID software and readers including power modules, control modules and micro readers.

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Global Industry Analysts Inc. released a report forecasting the outlook on the global smart card market to reach 10.9 billion units by 2015.

GIA credits the growth driven largely by major initiatives in the financial, government and security sectors, with the telecom sector at the way ahead of the pack as the largest end-user. Increasing usage of contactless technology, newer applications and mandatory EMV migration across countries are also major drivers boosting the global market for smart cards.

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The Canadian Parking Association has announced that the city of Ottowa, Canada is planning to upgrade its parking meters with NFC technology.

Starting early 2012, drivers will be able to pay for their parking fees with just a tap of an NFC enabled handset against the meter. The new system will also allow users to refresh their parking time via phone or Internet, rather than having to dash out to the meter.

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