How soundwave technology can transform the mobility sector in India : Mr. Himaghna Dey Sarkar, Chief Expansion Officer of ToneTag

Mr. Himaghna Dey Sarkar, Chief Expansion Officer of ToneTag

The mobility space in India relies heavily on the country’s highway toll plazas for revenue.
However, currently India loses USD 21.3 billion each year due to unnecessary fuel consumption at toll plazas. This excess consumption can be directly attributed to delays at toll plazas while customers halt to make payments. The solution that the Indian government is coming up with in order to combat these issues comprises majorly of automation. In the near future, all toll plazas will be automated and digital technologies will be employed to make toll payments convenient and efficient.

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags are currently only used by retail outlets in order to minimize cases of shoplifting. RFID tags alert personnel in case products pass the sensors that are fitted at store entries and exits. This RFID technology is now being utilized by toll plazas that will enable vehicles to zoom past the gates while sensors will accumulate toll chargers over prefixed periods of time. The technology seamlessly tracks the vehicles going past the toll booths in real time, making the system an almost perfect solution. However, RFID systems at toll booths have their own drawbacks.

A major drawback of RFID tag readers and sensors is that they are nowhere near being cost- effective and require an investment of anywhere between $500 and $2000 to deploy. With hundreds of toll plazas currently operating within the country and millions of vehicles passing through them every day, the cost of adopting this infrastructure reaches an unattainable amount. The entire system is not only costly but also complex and tough to install across the country. The need of the hour, therefore, is to adopt a toll collection process that can be easily applied and scaled universally, to the multiple collection points across the country in an easy and efficient manner.

Soundwave technology can tackle these problems in a seamless manner. It offers similar convenience while being cost effective and simpler to scale. Even better, is the fact that transfer through soundwaves can be facilitated using cellphones that need not have an internet connection or Bluetooth or any similar technologies. 50 times cheaper than RFID, soundwave systems can easily be deployed at each toll gate in India. Furthermore, it is much easier to scale as it does not require any additional hardware, just software updates.

The technology is already well on its way to transform the retail sector, allowing customers to simply walk past a payment system to complete their purchase through sound technology.Once applied to toll plazas as well, sound wave technology will enhance the mobility space in India, making the experience secure, efficient, seamless and cashless.