Xerox to trial universal NFC transport solution

Known as Xerox Seamless, the system will consist of NFC tags installed on transport networks, on which users will tag in and out using their NFC-enabled smartphones. Encrypted transaction data will be communicated to the Seamless app – which users will need to have downloaded – then sent to the Xerox servers once the smartphone is connected to the internet.

According to Géraldine Lievre, chief technology officer, International Public Sector at Xerox, the tags will be fully autonomous, free from an external power source and unconnected to the internet, with battery life lasting two years. Ms Lievre told The Engineer that Xerox is currently working on the second generation of tags, but was unable to share further details at this stage. 

Seamless is still in the early stages of development, but will undergo its first trial in an undisclosed city in France in September, with 200 users travelling across four transport lines. If successful, Xerox hopes that it could be rolled out across multiple cities around the globe, providing a single system for users regardless of where they are, and what transport network they are using.