Europe’s Perspective on Radio Frequency IDentification Technical Press Briefing on RFID, 6th March 2006 Europe’s Perspective on Radio Frequency IDentification Gérald SANTUCCI – Head of Unit Information Society and Media Directorate-General ICT for Enterprise Networking Technical Press Briefing on RFID, Brussels, Belgium, March 6, 2006

AGENDA What RFID is - components of an RFID system RFID: How it works “Real space” and Cyberspace What RFID is - components of an RFID system RFID: How it works The promise of RFID – Examples of current applications Global status on RFID Role of the European Commission European Commission’s roadmap on RFID Technical Press Briefing on RFID, Brussels, Belgium, March 6, 2006

Internet going beyond Cyberspace into “real space” Real- and Cyber-space Cyber Space RFID Manually data input Bar code Internet going beyond Cyberspace into “real space”

Radio Frequency Identification … Is an automatic way to collect information or data on: Products Places Times Transactions Enables identification performed in milliseconds: No line of sight required Contactless Works in a harsh environment Uses ID “tags” that can: Store unique ID information Read and write data to the tag Maintain historical information

Components of an RFID System Tag Chip: contains information about the item to which it is attached Antenna: transmits information from chip to reader using radio waves Tags can be passive (no onboard power source), semi-passive (have batteries allowing the tag to perform certain functions), or active (have onboard power to initiate communication) Reader Uses its own antenna to communicate with the tag Mobile (handheld devices that scan pallets, cases, etc.) or stationary (POS devices) Can process multiple items at once Database Tracks and stores information about the tagged object Information can include item identifier, description, manufacturer, movement of the item, and location – type of information will vary according to the application Can be linked into other networks (e.g. LAN) for connection of the database to the Internet

RFID: How it works The RFID tag is: Powered by the RF Energy The host is a computer system, which can be a personal computer, mainframe, hand held or other type of computer. The host’s primary responsibility in this configuration is to run the software application that issues instructions to and gathers tag data from the reader/interrogator. RFID Tag The RFID tag is: Powered by the RF Energy Interrogated by the Reader via the Antenna Data is read from, or written to, the Tag Technical Press Briefing on RFID, Brussels, Belgium, March 6, 2006

The Promise of RFID Global shipments of RFID systems are growing From ~2.5 billion € in 2006 to 10 billion € in 2010 and more than 20 billion € in 2016 Number of tags delivered in 2016 will be over 450 times the number in 2006! More accurate location information Improved data security and integrity More efficient markets; productivity gains Improved customer service Expedite processing Tighter control of supplies  RFID fosters innovation, commerce, economic growth, and competitiveness Technical Press Briefing on RFID, Brussels, Belgium, March 6, 2006

RFID Enables End-to-End Real-Time Visibility Manufacturer Intn’l Truck Intn’l Sea Port Trans-oceanic ship EU Sea Port Rail Line EU Truck Retailer Global Visibility Server Satellite Communications and GPS Internet

Examples of RFID Current Applications Drug Safety, e.g. tags on pill bottles Quality assurance & anti-counterfeiting Reduce potential for unauthorised access and expedite drug recalls Healthcare, e.g. blood tracking to ensure correct blood type Patient tracking for location identification of Alzheimer’s patients and babies Food Safety Temperature sensors attached to fresh food and on perishable goods Food tracking from point of origin (e.g. meat products) Transportation Safety Planes: Airbus’ A-380 aircraft will have passive RFID chips on removable parts such as passenger seats, life vests, and brakes, which will aid in maintenance of those parts Cars: designed to broadcast at regular intervals the temperature and pressure of each tyre to the driver  passenger safety + fuel saving

Global Status on RFID Key RFID issues are international RFID tags affixed in one country should be readable easily by readers in other countries Regulatory issues: standards decisions; spectrum allocations; privacy legislations  Need of harmonisation at international level Rising international dialogue EU-US Summit Joint Declaration (June 20, 2005) Encourage deployment of key innovative technologies such as broadband and radio frequency identification devices, without prejudice to consumer and data protection OECD/ICCP RFID Forum (Paris, October 5, 2005) Contacts with Asian countries (China, Korea, Japan …)

Role of the European Commission Research & Development (R&D) Technology: From RFID to the ‘Internet of Things’ Applications: Retail, Automotive, Aerospace, Healthcare, Transport & logistics, e-Inclusion, … Radio spectrum Need to ensure the timely availability of adequate radio spectrum resources Protection of personal data and privacy Data Protection Directive – 95/46/EC Article 29 Working Party Minimal requirements in certain sectoral applications? e-Privacy Directive – 2002/58/EC Up to review in 2006 Interoperability and standards How tags are being interrogated; how data is represented on the tag; how the tag’s information is linked to remote databases and applications Cross-sectoral standards (e.g. frequency spectrum) Sector-specific standards (e.g. supply chain, pharmaceuticals)

Roadmap “Towards a RFID policy in Europe” October - November 2006: Communication from the European Commission on RFID / Possible legislative action December 2006 March 9, 2006 at CeBIT: Commissioner Viviane Reding announces the launch of a Europe-wide public consultation on RFID September 2006: Drafting of the Communication September 2006 March 2006 August – September 2006: Analysis of the input received through the consultation. March – June 2006: Series of 5 thematic workshops on RFID June – July 2006: Public online consultation on ‘Your Voice in Europe’ June 2006