The PTC facilitates
collaboration between Posts and technology
providers by managing projects that
provide a common
infrastructure for standard postal e-business
solutions on an international scale.
The Advanced
Electronic Services (AES) User Group is
one of three User
Groups of the Telematics Cooperative.
The AES User Group through the PTC strives
to facilitate the development of:
Collaboration
between Posts and Technology Providers
A
common infrastructure and
standard postal e-Business solutions
on an international scale (e.g.
a standard core that can be customized
for local needs).
Interoperability
of services between postal
operators through the development
of common standards, policy,
specifications and support systems.
Service
solutions and collaborative
ventures on a multi-layered
basis to support the various
tiers of Posts (i.e. established,
emerging, potential, dependent).
An
environment that allows
all Cooperative members to participate,
either directly or indirectly
For
the PTC the focus of project
activities is on
investigating means to create
new business opportunities,
which compliment and leverage
traditional core postal services.
Posts may wish to provide a
new range of electronic services
either complimenting their core
business or ones that can be
leveraged from the Posts’
traditional position of trust,
reach, integrity, and security.
Traditional
mechanisms used to identify
and authenticate documents such
as the postmark and written
signatures on paper are not
available for computer-based
transactions. Since the introduction
of letter mail, the communications
market has evolved to offer
new, faster and in many
instances less
expensive means of communications
such as facsimile, electronic
data interchange and more recently
the Internet.
These new means of communications
particularly focused on the
explosive
growth of the Internet both
threaten the erosion of the
core letter mail business of
the Posts and yet provide the
Posts with a unique opportunity
for growth. To support the growth
of electronic business transactions,
a trusted third party is required
to assist in overcoming concerns
with issues of reliability,
integrity and security of the
electronic message.
Posts are recognized as the
natural Trusted Third Party.
Present
e-business projects include
a global
Digital PostMark (DPM)
service and Identity Management
services. The DPM is a
Non-Repudiation service
that will interface
directly with client software
applications such as
Microsoft Office and web forms.
Identity Management services
will provide a global infrastructure
for managing digital credentials
(i.e. digital certificates).
