The award was made by toll road operator Ascendi, in collaboration with Infrastructures of Portugal (IP), the nation’s government highways agency.
Luis Miranda, Q-Free’s VP of western and southern Europe, puts the contract into perspective. “It was over a decade ago that we designed and installed a state-of-the-art tolling system and we have maintained it ever since to the customer’s satisfaction. Nevertheless, for the contract renewal, there was a competitive bid, which we won. I think that underlines that, in a highly competitive market, our technology, and support for our customers, has continued to evolve and remains state-of-the-art.”
The upgrade will encompass virtually all components along the network of triple-gantry toll charging stations, using faster DSRC sensors, smaller lasers, the company’s advanced VRE700 higher resolution cameras as well as the back-office hardware. The new solutions will extend the life and increase functionality of the tolling network dramatically. “We are confident the installations will meet and surpass their expectations,” said Miranda.
Q-Free’s Portugal offices in Lisbon and Porto will handle the upgrade and full deployment is expected to be completed by 2022.
