Netherlands-based NXP Semiconductors and Canadian firm Skymeter have partnered to develop a new road use metering technology for road user charging (RUC) using GPS-based vehicle positioning.

The system is fully built to comply with cross-border interoperability requirements such as the European Electronic Tolling System (EETS) and other upcoming EU road projects such as those in France and the Netherlands.

The new system would combine NXP’s automotive telematics on-board unit platform (ATOP) chipset and Skymeter’s GNSS-based time, distance and place billing data applications and services.

NXP Semiconductors director of business development Frank Daems said that the ability to jointly offer a variety of privacy-sensitive value-added services and solutions using Financial Grade GPS is a key advantage for the road pricing market.

”We are also impressed that Skymeter’s service architecture provides both technical and policy-based offerings that can be customised to virtually any road pricing need,” said Daems.

NXP’s ATOP solution enables single on-board units (OBUs) to be used for stolen vehicle tracking, e-call and road pricing as well as other services including pay-as-you-drive, e-Horizon, eco-navigation and location-based mobility services.

Skymeter is a data services operator that enables location-based payments using financial-grade GPS telematics. The company’s billing-data services include time, distance and place (TDP) metering for road use, parking and PAYD insurance.