The move enables agencies, integrators, and partners to integrate with Q-Free’s first-of-its-kind signal control software—advancing interoperability without compromising security.

Q-Free, a global leader in mobility solutions for smart city infrastructure, today announced the publication of its interface control documentation and communication protocols for the Dynamic™ Signals Application Programming Interface (API). The move provides integrators, agencies, and partners with the information necessary to integrate Q-Free’s first-of-its-kind cybersecure traffic signal control software into their traffic management ecosystem.

Widely recognized as the global standard for software integration, APIs are what make modern technology ecosystems work—enabling devices, systems, and applications to communicate securely and efficiently. While many areas of intelligent transportation have already adopted APIs, traffic signal controllers have largely relied on legacy protocols.

By publishing the interface control documentation and integration protocols necessary to interact with the Dynamic Signals API, Q-Free brings the same open, secure interoperability found in other smart mobility domains directly to the intersection.

“Dynamic Signals set the bar for secure, modern signal control, and this documentation makes it possible for others to integrate with it safely and reliably,” said Mark Talbot, CEO of Q-Free. “We believe in interoperability with control — giving agencies the flexibility to integrate their systems, while maintaining the highest level of cybersecurity.”

Q-Free built its secure API from the ground up using modern cybersecurity principles, including encryption and authentication, to prevent interception or impersonation attacks and foster trust across diverse systems. By publishing the information necessary to interact with Dynamic Signals, Q-Free extends its built-in cybersecurity protections beyond its own platform—making it easier for others to innovate and interoperate without compromising security.

Agencies, consultants, and third parties within the ITS industry can access the interface control documentation and communication protocols  on Q-Free’s website, enabling seamless integration without proprietary dependencies or restrictions.

While the NTCIP standards process is slowly evolving toward SNMPv3 to address security needs, Q-Free’s secure API offers an immediate, real-world solution. The company remains active in NTCIP committees, but agencies are facing security issues now, and Q-Free recognized the need to deliver a forward-looking solution that keeps pace with today’s cybersecurity threats. “NTCIP is pursuing an important goal,” added Whitney Nottage, P.E., PTOE, EVP Traffic Management for Q-Free. “But the standards process can be slow, and agencies need solutions now. APIs are not a question of if the industry will adopt them, but when. We’re making that future a reality today.”

This is not the first time Q-Free has led the charge toward openness. The company founded and led the FREEtheMIBS initiative, encouraging vendors to share their proprietary Management Information Bases (MIBs). Vendors commonly develop proprietary MIBs—sometimes accounting for as much as 70% of a system’s functionality—to address gaps in existing standards, effectively locking agencies into single-vendor solutions. FREEtheMIBS advocated for the sharing of these MIBs, giving agencies the freedom to choose the solutions that work best for them and setting a new precedent for collaboration and interoperability across the industry.

In another big win for agencies, the new secure API supports publish–subscribe (Pub/Sub) communication, enabling higher-fidelity updates, reduced latency, and more efficient data exchange than polling-based methods.

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