Elastec: Why we support the Calypso Standard for Contactless Electronic Ticketing

Elatec, member of CNA  since 2018, explains why they support Calypso Standard for Contactless Electronic Ticketing

The days of purchasing tokens for mass transit are long gone. Today’s transit riders simply flash a card or a smart phone in front of a contactless reader to gain access to trains, buses and other transit options.Throughout much of Europe and beyond, Calypso has become the international technical standard for electronic ticketing for transit operators.

ELATEC readers support electronic ticketing and rider identification using the Calypso standard—along with more than 60 additional identification technologies. This allows transit operators using multiple card or smart phone technologies to support all of their ticketing solutions with a single reader.

Electronic ticketing relies on Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) cards or Near-Field Communications (NFC) applications on a smart phone to provide fast, secure and accurate identification of each rider as they pass the ticket kiosk. This allows riders to be connected to their electronic accounts, where information on ticketing and account balances is stored.

Calypso provides an international standard used by transit operators for electronic ticketing. The open standard, which was created by and for its users, enables interoperability between different transit providers in the same area. This means riders can access multiple forms of transit with a single card or app. Calypso has been in use for more than 15 years and has been successfully deployed in many large cities throughout Europe and the Americas. It is the only electronic ticketing standard without any proprietary scheme for a complete multi-sourcing environment. It is also considered to be the most secure solution available.

ELATEC is a member of the Calypso Networks Association (CNA), the non-profit cooperative organization that supports manufacturers and transit operators using Calypso. CNA gives transit authorities and operators a voice in determining the future evolution of the Calypso standard. ELATEC’s participation in CNA allows them to fully support their Calypso users around the world.

“We’re proud to support the Calypso Networks Association and the spread of the Calypso standard globally,” says Klaus Nagel “Calypso makes electronic ticketing easy for transit operators and riders. We’re here to support transit operators with a reader that works with Calypso as well as any other technologies they choose to use.”

Philippe Vappereau, CNA Chairman: “Elatec is an important player in the supply of contactless readers. We are delighted to have them as an active member of CNA, increasing Calypso’s potential supplier base for transport operators and authorities all around the world.”

ABOUT ELATEC
Elatec is a manufacturer and developer of RFID solutions. The company is one of the international leader in the field of multi-frequency/multi-standard readers. Integrators benefit from reader/writer modules that combine contact (Smart card) and contactless (RFID, NFC, Bluetooth) technologies. Depending on the product, over 60 RFID technologies commonly used internationally in the high-frequency (13.56 MHz) and low frequency range (125/134.2 kHz) are supported by a single device. Elatec is the partner for companies that want to grow their products’ potential through innovative close-up identification solutions.
The company was founded in 1988 and currently has around 100 employees at 17 (incl. 4 entities) locations worldwide. Its headquarters are in Munich, Germany.