Posted on 22 Sep 2023

French Authorities Considering RSMP

French road authorities have contacted RSMP Nordic about possible use of RSMP in France. In this blog post, we asked Christophe Damas from Cerema to talk about the French interest in RSMP.

Two protocols are being used in France today for communication with traffic lights and other roadside equipment. But these protocols are now out-dated, and we’re facing challenges.

After a long dialogue between authorities and industries, we’ve decided to replace these two existing protocols by a unique one.

Instead of just going ahead and building a brand-new protocol from scratch, we decided to investigate whether a protocol already developed abroad could be used in France. It would save us a lot of time and resources if we could build on an existing protocol.

To be attractive to us, a protocol must be open, flexible, vendor-neutral and field-proof. It should have clear documentation and the governance model should be transparent. Cybersecurity is also a key issue.

We looked at several existing protocols in use across Europe, UK and USA. This led us to RSMP, originating from the Nordic countries. It is in use in Nordic countries and is maintained by a group of Nordic road authorities. RSMP has many qualities we are looking for.

We think RSMP might be a good fit for our needs in France. We are in a constructive dialogue with Nordic road authorities to make sure we understand what RSMP can do today, where it’s heading to and what it would mean to us if we use it.

The governance model is very open, so we can participate in working groups meeting to get a good understanding of the protocol, the team behind and the ongoing work.

We are excited to continue this dialogue with the road authorities behind RSMP, and perhaps using RSMP in France.

Hope to get started working with you soon et we appreciate your openness.

Christophe DAMAS
Directeur de projets Régulation trafics-valorisation des données
Cerema Terriroires et ville – DMEPS – ITS-TR