Global Commerce Initiative EPC Roadmap - GlobalScorecard.net
Global Commerce Initiative EPC Roadmap - GlobalScorecard.net
Global Commerce Initiative EPC Roadmap - GlobalScorecard.net
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<strong>Global</strong> <strong>Commerce</strong> <strong>Initiative</strong> <strong>EPC</strong> <strong>Roadmap</strong><br />
Radio Frequency Band Benefits, Drawbacks & Applications<br />
13<br />
Frequency Benefits Drawbacks Common Applications<br />
Low<br />
(9-135 KHz)<br />
• Accepted Worldwide<br />
• Works Near Metal<br />
• In Wide Use Today<br />
• 1.5m Read Range<br />
• No Commerical Use License<br />
in Parts of EU<br />
• Complex Systems<br />
Development<br />
• Access Control (Vehicles)<br />
Source: IBM Business Consulting Services<br />
At a global level, the International Telecommunications<br />
Union (ITU) is responsible for regulating<br />
radio frequency usage worldwide. The diagram on<br />
the previous page shows some of the currently<br />
allowed and the proposed frequencies around the<br />
world.<br />
The resolution of the air interface issue is critical to<br />
the mass standardised adoption of the <strong>EPC</strong> <strong>net</strong>work<br />
and regulatory and standards bodies are actively<br />
engaged in reaching a degree of compatibility<br />
worldwide, e.g., UHF tags can be read in the whole<br />
range of 860-960 MHz without losing much<br />
efficiency, plus over similar distances when using<br />
approximately equal power ranges.<br />
3.6 Interoperable Commercial Versions<br />
Before it became the Auto-ID Labs, the Auto-ID<br />
Center published standard specifications for the<br />
savant, ONS, PML, and <strong>EPC</strong>IS components. Today’s<br />
reality is that there is not a complete set of<br />
commercial versions of these products that are<br />
truly interoperable or “plug and play.”<br />
Many vendors have a version of each of these<br />
components and these have been used in the trials<br />
to-date. Each is in a different stage of evolution at<br />
the present time.<br />
• It is generally agreed that some form of savant is<br />
required to filter data coming from readers to the<br />
applications that process it, and allows local and<br />
fast data access for key applications.<br />
• The Auto-ID Center produced an open source<br />
version of savant, which has been modified a<br />
number of times by systems integrators, often in<br />
conjunction with early adopters to allow pilots.<br />
These prove that the technology works and can<br />
be used in testing. However, it is still unclear<br />
whether these systems are robust enough and<br />
scalable to the extent required.<br />
• An ONS is an essential component of the <strong>EPC</strong><br />
vision and is based on the structure of a domain<br />
20 © Copyright November 2003, <strong>Global</strong> <strong>Commerce</strong> <strong>Initiative</strong>/IBM