ISO 14906:2022

Overview

ISO 14906:2022 - Electronic fee collection - Application interface definition for dedicated short-range communication - defines the EFC application interface between electronic fee collection (EFC) systems and the DSRC (dedicated short‑range communication) application layer. The standard specifies the data elements (EFC attributes), addressing and component procedures, EFC functions and action types, and a common EFC transaction model to ensure interoperability between on‑board equipment (OBE) and roadside equipment (RSE). It follows the OSI philosophy and provides placeholders for security functionality while leaving specific security policies and algorithms to operators.

Key technical topics and requirements

• EFC attributes (application data): standardized data elements usable in EFC transactions and potentially in other DSRC applications.
• Addressing procedures: mechanisms to address EFC attributes and hardware components (e.g., integrated circuit cards), including the role of element identifiers and support for multiple instances.
• EFC functions and ActionType values: formal definitions of application functions, their service primitives, action parameters and semantics to enable consistent behaviour across implementations.
• EFC transaction model: a common transaction lifecycle (initialization, transaction phase) that supports versioning and compatibility across different EFC transactions and contracts.
• Interface behaviour for interoperability: rules to ensure predictable interactions at the EFC–DSRC application interface level while avoiding prescriptive implementation constraints.
• Security placeholders: data and functional hooks for secure transactions (annexes include DES and AES calculation guidance), with explicit exclusion of operator-specific security policies and key management from the normative scope.
• Versioning and backward compatibility: use of ASN.1 module versioning (EfcModule) and EfcContextMark/ContextVersion to allow coexistence of multiple implementation versions.

Practical applications and users

ISO 14906 is intended for anyone building, operating or regulating DSRC‑based tolling and related ITS applications:

• Toll operators and service providers - define interoperable contracts and transaction types across regions.
• Equipment manufacturers (OBE/RSE vendors) - implement the EFC application interface, attribute addressing, and functions to achieve cross‑vendor interoperability.
• Systems integrators - design back‑office and roadside systems that interoperate with diverse OBEs.
• Security architects - integrate operator‑specific cryptography within the standard’s security hooks.
• Standards bodies and policy makers - harmonize regional agreements and operational rules (receipts, privacy, access rights).

The specification is also applicable beyond tolling (e.g., compliance checking or autonomous vehicle interfaces) wherever DSRC read/write services and a standardized application layer are needed.

Related standards and keywords

• Related standards: ISO/IEC 7498‑1 (OSI reference), ISO 15628 / EN 12834 (DSRC media and layer 7 references), ISO/TS 17573‑2 and ISO 17573‑3 (data definitions), ASN.1 module usage.
• SEO keywords: ISO 14906, electronic fee collection, EFC, DSRC, dedicated short‑range communication, EFC transaction model, EFC attributes, OBE, RSE, interoperability, ASN.1, tolling standards, ITS.