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Andre Ampelas'interview PDF Print E-mail
dimanche, 27 juin 2010
andre_ampelas.jpgQ1- You founded Calypso and then Calypso Networks Association of which you are now Honorary President. What do you think of the latest trends on the e-ticketing market and of Calypso’s position on this market?
Market trends are consistent with what we’d expected when we started our work in the early 1990s. In the beginning, Calypso’s goal was to improve quality and maintenance costs, to meet the market’s needs, but we designed the standard so that it would also lower distribution costs, particularly by giving it a high security level. Starting in 1996, we gave demonstrations on mobile phone reloading and then used USB keys, which are now highly promising solutions on the e-ticketing market, to meet occasional, reloading and interoperability requirements.

Q2- You organized a conference two months ago on Calypso in Mexico: why Mexico?
Mexico is an extremely important market for the expansion of e-ticketing. It’s a large country with 100 million inhabitants that’s often been on the forefront in the field of transport and e-ticketing, then it was one of the very first countries to introduce magnetic cards as transport tickets (in the Mexico subway), in 1969. Moreover, France and Mexico share a long history of cooperation in several areas, and particularly in transport. I know this because I myself was in charge of the French team that was involved in building the Mexican subway and I’ve stayed in touch with many contacts and friends ever since.

Q3- What was it about and who was it aimed at?
Its goal was to promote discussions between local transport leaders and international market players for mutual enrichment. The main objective was to demonstrate the importance of standardization and the means with which it could be achieved, through testimonials from various countries that had chosen to develop e-ticketing on the national level such as Belgium, Latvia, Israel, Portugal and France. In return, Mexico introduced original, large-scale solutions to meet the need for occasional services at a very low cost - such as the consignment of transport tickets – and it’s ahead of its peers on topics such as BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) and more particularly simple BRT e-ticketing:  other countries can therefore look to it as a reference.

Q4- Was this conference a success? Did it live up to your expectations and those of the participants?
This conference, which was inaugurated by the Federal District’s Deputy Finance Minister, who also honoured us by giving a presentation on the issue of Mexico City, was a hands’ down success with a large turnout – more than 120 participants from numerous countries – and top-quality content. In return, we received a lot of messages from the participants saying they were satisfied with the quality of the speakers and the depth of the discussions.

Q5- What are the next steps for e-ticketing in Mexico?
There are several projects on the horizon that are mainly revolved around the map of Mexico City and interoperability. I’m convinced that our Mexican friends will draw inspiration from the various standardization possibilities available – out of mutual consent like in France and Belgium, through legal incentive like in Portugal or out of legal obligation like in Israel – to choose the one that’s best tailored to their region or country. They already have a transport (or mapping) data format, financed by the World Bank, that could be used as a neutral technical base (not established by an integrator, which would be put in a privileged situation).

Q6- In your opinion, what are the world's most promising regions for the development of e-ticketing in general and of Calypso in particular?
Contactless e-ticketing will inevitably develop all over the world. Developed countries need to find ways to reduce the costs of distributing transport tickets, which requires a lot of security for remote reloading. Calypso is undeniably a particularly secure, tested and open standard (it’s accessible to everyone!); what’s more, contrary to the rumours that have been intentionally spread by some suppliers that are opposed to standards, it costs operators and integrators absolutely nothing. In developing countries, the most natural choice is the most recent technology and, for the most mature among them, it’s the most sustainable technology, which means Calypso is well positioned.

Q7- Do you think CNA should repeat this type of conference to promote Calypso?
It’s an excellent way of promoting Calypso in countries that are still unfamiliar with this standard (which, in practice, is the only one that’s promoted and has been tested by operators) or that receive more or less inaccurate information. User testimonials are objective and ideal promotional tools.
Last Updated ( lundi, 28 juin 2010 )
 
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