Mass Transit Solutions Brief
Real-time payments in transit require low latency and strong security across moving fleets. This solution brief shows how the Ericsson Cradlepoint R1900 delivers integrated 5G, Wi-Fi, SD-WAN, and zero-trust security to meet sub-500 millisecond latency targets and PCI DSS requirements. To see how transit systems improve performance and efficiency, download the solution brief.
How did the transit agencies meet the new live payment mandate?
Seven public transit agencies needed to support live, real-time payment transactions on about 4,000 buses, while keeping end-to-end latency under **500 milliseconds** and avoiding a major expansion of on-board infrastructure.
They addressed this by standardizing on a **single integrated device** on each bus: the **Ericsson Cradlepoint R1900**. This device combines:
- **5G and multi-carrier cellular connectivity**
- **Wi-Fi (including Wi-Fi as WAN)**
- **SD-WAN capabilities**
- **Security features**
- **Support for containerized applications**
By consolidating these functions into one platform, the agencies could:
- Enable **live payment processing** that consistently met the **sub-500 ms latency** requirement.
- Avoid deploying multiple separate boxes for connectivity, security, and applications.
- Use **containerized apps and APIs** to integrate payment services and other on-board systems.
This approach let them comply with the mandate while keeping installations and ongoing maintenance more manageable and cost-effective.
How is payment data kept secure and compliant?
To protect live payment data and support **PCI DSS** compliance, the agencies implemented a **zero-trust based WAN** using **Ericsson NetCloud Secure Connect**.
Key elements of the security approach include:
- **Zero-trust architecture**: Every connection is authenticated and authorized, reducing reliance on traditional perimeter-based security.
- **Encrypted connectivity** for sensitive payment traffic across cellular and Wi-Fi links.
- **Elimination of complex VPNs and private APNs**: NetCloud Secure Connect replaces these with a simpler, policy-driven secure overlay.
- **Centralized policy management**: Security and SD-WAN policies are defined once and automatically applied to all routers.
In addition, the solution supports **very low-touch / zero-touch deployments**:
- When a router is installed, it can **automatically update its software**, **pull its configuration**, and **inherit zero-trust and SD-WAN policies**.
Together, these capabilities help the agencies protect cardholder data in motion, align with **PCI DSS** requirements, and reduce the operational overhead of managing secure connectivity across thousands of vehicles.
How does the solution handle multiple on-board services and ensure reliability?
The agencies needed to support several on-board services at the same time—such as **Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD)**, **Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL)**, **DVR cameras**, and **Wi-Fi as WAN**—without compromising payment performance.
They used **NetCloud SD-WAN** together with the **R1900 routers** to achieve this:
1. **Multi-carrier resiliency and coverage visibility**
- Each R1900 includes **dual cellular modems**, enabling **redundant carrier connections** (for example, Carrier A and Carrier B).
- **Coverage mapping** provides **route-level visibility** into the quality of each carrier’s coverage.
- The system can **select carriers based on signal quality**, improving uptime and consistency for critical applications.
2. **Application-aware traffic steering**
- **Application-based traffic steering** prioritizes **payment transactions** and **operational traffic** (like CAD and AVL) on the **highest-quality link**.
- Less time-sensitive or bandwidth-heavy traffic, such as **video offload from cameras**, is steered to **Wi-Fi as WAN** when available.
- **Forward Error Correction (FEC)** helps mitigate packet loss, improving the quality of experience for real-time applications.
3. **Automated asset tracking and flexible deployment**
- On-board **SDK-based applications** provide **automated asset tracking** for each bus, so operators no longer need to manually track which systems are installed where.
- The solution can be delivered **on-premises or from the cloud**, depending on each agency’s operational and regulatory requirements.
This combination lets agencies run multiple critical services over the same integrated platform, maintain **high availability**, and keep payment and operational traffic performing reliably across their fleets.
Sign in with LinkedIn