radio frequency identification providing strategic and competitive advantage

Point of View Radio Frequency Identification A Business Revolution Providing Strategic and Competitive Advantage The Technology Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a wireless data collection technology developed during World War II that has been used in •High Frequency Devices (13.56 MHz) would be used in environments where moisture might be present – High Frequency Devices are used today for airline baggage tracking and accessing applications for about a decade. The technology transfers data wirelessly between a tiny transceiver and tracking and building access control applications – These devices do not work well with metal a tag. A tag is a combination of an electronic transponder with an antenna that can be attached to items such as a razor blade, an infusion pump in a hospital, a bottle of soda or a military tank. When the tag comes within the range of the transceiver, anywhere from •Devices that Operate in the UHF Range (868-928 MHz) may be useful for pallet and container tracking and have a longer read- range of over 1.5 meters inches to nearly three hundred feet, the transceiver decodes the information electronically programmed on the tag. Advances and •Devices that Operate in the Wi-Fi Range (2.4 GHz) are useful for longer read-range needs and are gaining wide acceptance with healthcare providers for critical asset tracking standardization in the protocol, tags and RFID readers have brought scale and prices to the point where use of the technology for asset tracking and location services is feasible. Tags include extremely small microchips that are about the size of a pepper flake. However, the required antenna makes the tag about Key Points 1 square inch. The microchips listen for a radio query sent out by a RFID transceiver. The chips then respond via a defined protocol by •RFID technology has been in use for many years, but is finding a mass-market application in supply chain systems. Mandates to suppliers from large retail transmitting their stored, unique identification code through the antenna. The transceiver receives the data and decodes the signals. firms and the government are accelerating adoption. Standardization, which is occurring within the Transceivers are usually integrated into handheld terminals. They can also be part of readers fixed to a door or wall in a facility, or even EPCglobal organization, is also influencing RFID use. integrated into Wi-Fi access points. The data collected by the readers are sent over a network, either wired or wireless, to host computer •Technical and standards issues need to be addressed. However, sufficient progress has been made so that there should be widespread use of RFID for supply systems. These systems could be in the same building or located around the world. chain applications within 2008-2009. Frequency Ranges RFID technologies currently in use today generally fall into one of four radio frequency ranges: •Most supply chain applications have been at the pallet level. Costs, operational issues and privacy concerns have limited testing at the product level. Ensuring the •Low Frequency Devices (125-134 kHz) are useful for limited range applications, such as animal identification and where metal items are tagged (such as in warehouses) technology benefits accrue to the end customer could alleviate some concerns (i.e., receipt and warranty verification). Types of Tags There are two varieties of tags: active and passive. Passive RFID tags have no batteries. They are low-power devices that derive power up tracking of perishable food items on track dollies and roll cages. has worked with multiple clients in implementing RFID to help improve business processes and enhance productivity. from the initial radio signal sent by the transceiver to transmit their response. Active tags contain their own battery source and are always The technology is also used to more effectively manage logistics, manage shelf-level inventory, real-time data collection of shopper behavior on. They will periodically transmit a signal so data can be captured by transceivers located in a factory, warehouse or other location. and tracking the location and movement of goods shipments. Some companies are experimenting with RFID payments. This particular Tags can be read-only or read-write. On the read-write tags, data such as a serial number are permanently stored and memory is left application is now being widely deployed, as many credit card companies are issuing millions of RFID enabled credit cards each year. available for later additions or changes. Merchants are adding the new “swipeless/signatureless” networked POS terminals to their stores so that clients can speed up their The cost of passive RFID tags based on EPCglobal (the Electronic Product Code network’s U.S. organization) developed industry purchases and use their cards even for small ticket items (under $5). has deployed an RFID enabled swipeless/signatureless RFID standards is continuing to drop in price. These passive tags can now be acquired for about 10 cents in quantities of a million or more. POS service in its cafeteria to accelerate checkout. Active tag prices are dependent on the capabilities within the device and can cost anywhere from $10 to over $100 each. Privacy and Security are top of mind concerns with major retailers, consumer groups and the RFID industry. Several industry association As the price of the tags continues to drop, many more items will be tagged. In the next few years, if tag prices reach a penny or under, study groups are working together to understand how to address these important points. lower-priced items such as toothpaste, shampoo and boxed cereal might also be tagged. Technical and Standards Issues There are still technical difficulties to be overcome, even at the pallet/case level. Early adopters have experienced growing pains Market Use RFID is currently used in airport luggage-routing systems, clothing tagging systems, asset tracking, asset management, homeland typical of a nascent technology. Problems developed using tags at certain frequencies with liquid products or when merchandise comes security, patent tracking, cattle tracking, pet tracking, inventory control areas, pharmaceutical supply chain (pedigree, anti-fraud), in metal cans. In addition, conveyor belts emit a form of white noise that may sometimes mask or scramble RFID transmissions. There are library checkout systems and highway toll collections. It is even used to track attendees at the Oscars. The retail and manufactured issues regarding scanning range, coverage, interference, durability, accuracy and equipment speed that still need to be addressed. There goods industries are also very interested in the technology for supply chain management applications. are also problems to be solved integrating the technology with other supply chain systems. Additional standards issues will also need to be addressed. Innovative companies are responding to these issues as part of the EPCglobal effort to infuse the supply chain with RFID capability. There are possible applications for use of RFID technology in the entire range of a product’s lifecycle. RFID can be used to provide information about the raw materials and manufacturing conditions of a product. The technology can track where the product is during the production Getting smaller companies compliant with the RFID initiatives of major companies is the current focus of the service providers who support and distribution process. It can also be used to track the demand for a product as it moves off the shelf and can be used to continue to track RFID. The EPCglobal standard tag, class 1, generation 2 tag, is assisting by having defined standards that make RFID much more reliable and efficient for supply chain applications. information about the product after it leaves the store. places RFID tags on network assets for enhanced asset tracking and maintenance management. Implications for Telecommunications Within the four walls of the factory or distribution center, both the wired LAN infrastructure and the wireless LAN are used to connect For now, the majority of focus is at the palette, or case-level, with RFID tagging of individual items used only on more expensive items the transceivers that are collecting information from the RFID tags with centralized data repositories. As applications move up the supply (CDs/DVDs, pets). A major retail firm recently asked its top 300 suppliers toplace RFID tags with electronic product code information chain and link the manufacturer’s warehouse toa logistics provider, or a shipper to a retailer’s distribution center, data is likely to be on each case and pallet shipped to its distribution centers. A U.S. Government agency has released a policy requiring suppliers to put transmitted over a private or protected wide area network. Over time, the entire supply chain could be connected from the plant to the retail passive RFID tags on each individual case of pallet packaging. floor and data would be exchanged in both directions within a myriad of networks (both wired and wireless). This will enable the secured Other applications for RFID are being used to improve asset management or to speed up supply chain processes. One company is using RFID tagging tokeep track of its expensive beer kegs. Another sharing of appropriate, selected information with global supply chain suppliers/vendors. business is using tagging in its refrigerated food supply chain to speed The information flow within this environment will be heavy in the “upstream” direction, flowing from the edge of the corporate network businesses. As RFID deployments become larger, interest in managed services grows. As they see success of their pilots, CIO’s are beginning to centralized sites, such as distribution centers and the corporate headquarters. In order to make use of data on an object’s RFID tag, to think about what happens when they start to put hundreds of these devices in their network. data describing it must be housed in databases that processing sites (connected to a set of readers) are able to access. It is expected that RFID Services focus on contactless payment services, asset tracking and management and security applications across manufacturing, point-of-sale systems, for example, will need to process up to ten scans per second, per reader, and keep track of scores of individual transportation, retail and government markets. We currently provide assessment, design, implementation and end-to-end managed RFID items at once. Businesses will need to architect their networks so they can efficiently handle this massive flow of logistics and inventory services to help clients of any size quickly and effectively implement RFID solutions. ’s offerings include RFID readers, consulting and information. They will need also to architect storage and information distribution systems to enable the data to be used from central as well integration solutions, IP transport, hosting, managed applications and security services. has developed our own RFID network, data as remote locations. management infrastructure and applications to host our customers’ RFID networks. Businesses will require applications that can collect and manage the data resulting from RFID-based applications. Massive data flows will need to be aggregated and transmitted to centralized locations for analysis and storage. It may be more cost-effective to build elements About the Authors Labs is made up of approximately 4,500 of the world’s best of data management, security and storage into the network. Some functions for applications using RFID technology could also be built scientists and engineers. We have experts in advanced data networking, software engineering, systems integration and speech technology. Our into bar-code scanners, Wi-Fi access points, cell phones or other networked devices. research team has helped to build one of the premier telecommunications laboratories in the world in terms of excellence in the frontiers of During this time of growth, telecommunications and hosting managed service providers like have taken the opportunity to use their science, invention of new communications concepts and tools and incubation of new services. Development teams offer world-class expertise regarding the network implications of RFID applications to help clients implement scaleable and secure RFID solutions. technical expertise and knowledge of complex systems. Our experience enables to rapidly integrate anything from “home grown” software to “off-the-shelf” products, creating innovative new services and enhancing ’s own operations. Why Use a Managed Service Provider Enterprise customers indicate that they don’t want to have to certify their own technologies. They don’t want the upfront cost of the buying and deploying their own RFID network and may not be staffed for such an undertaking. Outsourcing is a viable solution for many For more information on ’s Networking Exchange, .
In cities, towns and remote locations, mini satellite dishes point attentively to the Southern sky. Emblazoned with names like DirecTv, ExpressVu, DirecWay, Web Conferencing, iNetVu, Linkstar, XM Satellite Radio, Sirius Satellite Radio iDirect their numbers are growing at an amazing rate. Iridium Satellite Phone is the only provider of truly global satellite voice and data solutions with complete coverage of the earth (including oceans, airways and Polar Regions). Get the latest buzz on Free satellite tv systems - including the features and benefits that make them today's ultimate television viewing experience.(Get Dish) Ever wonder why these satellite dish systems are in such great demand? Does high speed internet service or digital television programming via satellite intrigue you?
If you've never heard of Cheap VoIP, get ready to change the way you think about long-distance phone calls. VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a method for taking analog audio signals and turning them into digital data (IP packets) that can be transmitted over the Internet.