Electronic Transaction Consultants has been
awarded a contract to deliver the next-generation centralized
interoperability hub to support E-ZPass member agencies
TORONTO, April 18,
2022 /PRNewswire/ - Quarterhill Inc. ("Quarterhill")
(TSX: QTRH) (OTCQX: QTRHF) announces that Electronic Transaction
Consultants, LLC (ETC), a Quarterhill company, and the Triborough
Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) have signed a contract for the
implementation and operations of the E-ZPass Interoperability
(EZIOP) Hub. TBTA oversees the procurement and implementation of
the EZIOP Hub project on behalf of the E-ZPass Interagency Group
(IAG) member agencies. The initial term of the contract is ten (10)
years with one (1) 3-year option. The contract is subject to
customary terms and conditions and valued at ~US$21.5 million.
The EZIOP Hub will enable a streamlined exchange of transaction
data via a centralized interoperability hub between E-ZPass member
agencies, third parties, and other Regional Hubs. The project
accommodates a flexible phased adoption of national
interoperability (NIOP) standards via the Enhanced Interface
Control Document (ICD) and paves the way for multimodal
interoperability expansion to support member agencies' future
integrated mobility initiatives.
The IAG consists of member agencies in multiple states,
servicing more than 32 million accounts, 49 million tags and the
collection of over $12.1 billion
dollars in electronic toll revenues. According to IAG, it is
the largest toll interoperability network in the world. The EZIOP
Hub will facilitate and manage interoperability between existing
member agencies and states and support the ongoing geographic
expansion of the Interagency Group as it continues to add states
and members. The Hub will help E-ZPass member agencies provide a
seamless tolling experience for their constituents across
interstate lines, with less time and effort than before. The Hub
will provide all reports used for settlement between member
agencies and other Regional Hubs, as well as support other required
IAG reporting.
"This is an important step that brings us closer to nationwide
toll interoperability," explained PJ Wilkins, Executive Director at
E-ZPass Group and IAG Service Corporation. "This partnership with
ETC and the implementation of the EZIOP Hub is another example of
our continued commitment to a seamless E-ZPass customer
experience."
"We are honored and excited to be the technology and operations
partner for the EZIOP Hub," stated ETC's Chief Executive Officer
Kevin Holbert. "We fully appreciate
the criticality of this program for all E-ZPass agencies and their
customers, the strategic significance of EZIOP for the mobility
industry, and the confidence placed in ETC by the member agencies.
ETC brings over 15 years of interoperability experience,
award-winning technology and a passionate and dedicated team
committed to our customers' success. The new EZIOP Hub will give
member agencies powerful new capabilities to meet financial,
operational and customer service goals for decades to come. ETC is
ready to launch the project and looking forward to getting started
in the coming weeks."
The project's stated objective is to "take advantage of advances
in the industry to revise the present IAG Toll Reciprocity
architecture and processes, provide a robust, flexible, and easily
scalable platform upon which evolving IAG business needs can be
addressed, and facilitate National Toll Interoperability." The
proposed EZIOP Hub system is built on a flexible architecture, with
evergreen enabling technologies in place to support dynamic future
layering of functionalities, protocols, and services over the
course of a decade, driven by on-going changes and expansions in
the demand for new mobility services and member agency
needs.
About Interagency Group
(IAG)
The Interagency Group (IAG), also known as E‑ZPass Group, is
comprised of toll entities stretching across 19 states that operate
the extremely successful E‑ZPass electronic toll collection
program. It is the world leader in toll interoperability, with over
49 million E‑ZPass devices in circulation. For more information,
visit www.e-zpassiag.com.
About Electronic Transaction
Consultants, LLC
ETC is a leading U.S. intelligent transportation systems
provider, developing and delivering best in class solutions for
tolling, congestion management, smart mobility, and multimodal
transportation initiatives. ETC's passionate and innovative
team has been driving the future of mobility since 1999, with a
number of industry firsts, including all electronic tolling (AET),
dynamic pricing, agency interoperability, hosted mobility solutions
and machine learning.
For over two decades, ETC has delivered sophisticated solutions
to many of the U.S.'s largest toll authorities, including
state-wide programs, county networks and tolling-specific
authorities. ETC's solutions process over two billion transactions
annually totaling over $3 billion in
revenues for our customers, incorporating the latest in evergreen
open-source and SaaS technologies and Big Data architecture through
our innovative riteSuite™ products.
About Quarterhill
Quarterhill is a leading provider of tolling and enforcement
solutions in the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) industry,
as well as, through its Wi-LAN Inc. subsidiary, a leader in
Intellectual Property licensing. Our goal is global leadership in
ITS, via organic growth of the Electronic Transaction Consultants,
LLC (ETC) and International Road Dynamics, Inc. (IRD) platforms,
and by continuing an acquisition-oriented investment strategy that
capitalizes on attractive growth opportunities within ITS and its
adjacent markets. Quarterhill is listed on the TSX under the symbol
QTRH and on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol QTRHF. For more
information, visit www.quarterhill.com
Forward-looking
Information
This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding
ETC, Quarterhill and their businesses. Forward-looking statements
are based on estimates and assumptions made by ETC and/or
Quarterhill in light of their experience and perception of
historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments
and the expected effects of new business strategies, as well as
other factors that ETC and/or Quarterhill believe are appropriate
in the circumstances. The forward-looking events and circumstances
discussed herein may not occur and could differ materially as a
result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties
affecting ETC and/or Quarterhill, including: potential risks and
uncertainties relating to the ultimate geographic spread of the
novel coronavirus ("COVID-19"); the severity of the disease; the
duration of the COVID-19 outbreak; actions that may be taken by
governmental authorities to contain the COVID-19 outbreak or to
treat its impact; the potential negative impacts of COVID-19 on the
global economy and financial markets and any resulting impact on
ETC and/or Quarterhill and/or their businesses. Other factors
include, without limitation, the risks described in Quarterhill's
March 21, 2022 annual information
form for the year ended December 31,
2021 (the "AIF"). Copies of the AIF may be obtained at
www.sedar.com. ETC and Quarterhill recommend that readers review
and consider all of these risk factors and notes that readers
should not place undue reliance on any of ETC's forward-looking
statements. ETC has no intention, and undertakes no obligation, to
update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as
required by law.
View original
content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/electronic-transaction-consultants-to-deliver-and-operate-the-eziop-hub-for-e-zpass-301526778.html
SOURCE Quarterhill Inc.