Radio frequency identification (RFID) standards, defined by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), are not yet broad enough to ensure there will be no interference between RFID systems in future.
This warning comes from Bertus Pretorius, chairman of the South African standards committee for automated identification. He says despite the adoption of EPCglobal`s Gen 2 UHF RFID specification in June, the ISO RFID standards are still incomplete.
"The widespread use of high-power, longer range RFID now requires different types of systems, which must be harmonised within standards," he says.
Pretorius, who is also the chief systems architect of the IPICO RFID solutions company, has defended the company`s proposal to have its SA-developed IP-X non-modulating communication protocol included in ISO`s standards for RFID communication between tags and readers.
Earlier this month, the Canadian-owned company renounced the intellectual property rights to its IP-X air protocol in the hope that it would be adopted as an international standard dealing with all passive RFID frequency bands. However, supporters of EPCglobal Gen 2 specification have criticised the move, saying there is no need for another standard.
Co-exist
Attendees of last week`s Afritag forum quarterly conference at Carnival City heard that although non-modulating systems are better suited to fast-moving processes and are the only safe RFID systems for use with explosives, the ISO long-range passive RFID standard deals only with modulating systems.
"The problem is that both modulating and non-modulating systems are needed for different applications and will have to co-exist, which is why a broader standard is needed to prevent interference," explains Pretorius.
According to Pretorius, the number of non-modulating tags already in use is already greater than that of modulating passive UHF tags and will exceed 100 million by the end of the year. The tags are used in more than 80 countries in various high speed and difficult RF applications.
"As non-modulating systems become ubiquitous, there is a big chance they will interfere with modulating systems if no standards are set to govern and integrate both kinds of air protocols," says Pretorius.
ISO member countries are to vote on whether or not to adopt the IP-X protocol at the end of September. If the vote is positive, an ISO standard will be developed using the IPICO proposal as a contribution.
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