According to a recent report, RFID’s potential remains largely untapped due to insufficient standardization. Will the UHF Gen2 standard help?

According to a fact sheet from EPCglobal, Inc., a not-for-profit subsidiary of GS1, “While RFID technology has been in use since the early 1940s, its potential remains largely untapped due to a lack of sufficient standardization and the overall expense of the technology.” The standards organization, working with more than 60 leading global companies, has ratified the EPCglobal UHF Generation 2 standard (Gen2). Products built to the new standard are expected to operate anywhere in the world, feature advanced encryption and other enhanced security, offer improved cross-vendor compatibility, and will be better able to operate in dense reader environments such as distribution centers and warehouses. Some analysts estimate that standards may reduce RFID chip prices by up to 80%. Not all is rosy with Gen2, however. For a much more detailed view, see IndustryWeek.