Department aligns RFID spectrum specifications with those in the United States

Industry Canada’s recent amendment to RFID system specifications (RSS 210) is a welcome move and is being well received by those in the industry. The department harmonized the way it deals with RFID systems using spectrum in the 13.11-14.01 MHz and 433.5-434.5 MHz bands, allowed for greater power levels and available bandwidth for these particular systems. RFID technology developer Sirit Inc. was aware of the changes going on in the department and feels they are good for the industry. Randy Roebuck, Sirit’s RFID standards representative, says this type of standardization and harmonization of technical standards will aid many areas of the RFID industry. "One of the big issues from an engineering standpoint," says Roebuck, "is you’d like to design to a certain criteria. If the criteria are all the same for many countries, you can focus your attention on that design. In the past there were different rules for RFID equipment in different countries, so you had to decide whether to design a reader to fit into a specific region. In that case you had to look at the volume of business in that area to see if it was worthwhile to try and serve it." These modifications should benefit those who make and use RFID technology, and should facilitate growth in this relatively new and expanding area. "The department is cognizant of the importance of technical harmonization with other regulatory agencies," says Doug Sward, deputy director general, spectrum engineering at Industry Canada. "We anticipate that our decision will have a positive impact on the Canadian RFID industry. Given that the decision further aligns and harmonizes our RFID spectrum and regulations with the United States, the rules will provide greater opportunity for this industry to develop and grow in Canada." "There was a need to update the bands and change the bandwidth," says Sward. "The modification increases the range of RFID devices. Before, the reading equipment operated on very low power levels from greater distances." Also, and perhaps more importantly, the modifications align the RFID technical standards with those in place in the United States. This should greatly benefit Canadian RFID makers and users as it opens up both sides of the border. "Since Canada and the United States are viewed as a common market by equipment manufacturers and share a common border, which facilitates the flow of devices between countries, it was important for the department to establish technical requirements similar to those of the United States," says Sward. This harmonization between Canada and the U.S. could be a sign of the increasing alignment of technical standards all over the world. "Most of the products and companies are global now," says Roebuck, "so RFID should operate on a global scale." One of the biggest challenges in the past was simply determining what the legal bands were for specific regions of the world. While countries like Canada and the U.S. make their RFID frequencies common knowledge, that was not always the case in areas like Asia. Aligning standards between countries removes the encumbrance of trying to locate these regulations. Adds Sward: "Our recently established technical rules will provide greater opportunities for Canadian RFID equipment manufacturers to produce products for both the Canadian and United States market as well as other markets. The harmonization of technical standards facilitates trade and minimizes regulatory burden." In turn, this opens the door for companies looking to use RFID technology by allowing them to consider developers on both sides of the border. Currently, RFID is a very new area and is undergoing a lot of development. Not all companies use it for supply chain and inventory tracking, and some of those who do don’t use it for all of their shipments. While advances in the technology will certainly make it more available, so will the updated regulations by national agencies like Industry Canada. "Our recent regulatory decision will enhance opportunities for the use of this technology by a full range of retailers," says Sward. "This is particularly important for retailers with operations in both Canada and the United States and retailers that import products into Canada." One retailer at the forefront of RFID use is Wal-Mart. The retail giant uses the technology to track supplies as they enter the distribution centres and are shipped out to Wal-Mart chains. Wal-Mart currently receives RFID-tagged shipments from at least its top 100 suppliers, and is supposed to expand that number to its top 200 by 2006. But the implications of RFID extend well beyond the retail market, and beyond shipment tracking. "At this time, the benefits of RFID technology can be applied to many Canadian industries, including those in manufacturing, distribution, retail, medical and food safety sectors," says Sward. "The department believes that this technology can offer many benefits... including a reduction in data collection errors, improved inventory control and asset tracking, improved customer service, prevention of theft and a reduction in counterfeit goods."

Department aligns RFID spectrum specifications with those in the United States

News | 10/05/2005 4:00 am EDT

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