*** Editor’s note: For the first part of this article, click here: http://www.ebizq.net/topics/rfid/features/6164.html

Moving forward

Global Standards Under Development

EPCGlobal, a member-driven organization, is leading the development of industry-driven standards for the Electronic Product Code (EPC) to support the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).

Costs are falling

The costs of tags and readers are likely to fall in the future, particularly as standardization processes gain greater momentum, creating economies of scale. However, integration costs may still be prohibitive until system integrators develop industry vertical solutions they can replicate.

Consumer Education

It appears that consumer’s concerns about privacy can be overcome by :

• Offering consumers greater control by ensuring that they will be made aware of when and where the network is being used and offering them an option to kill the tag.
• Creating governance mechanisms around the use of the network through appropriate guidelines, policies, regulations, or controls.
• Offering information about the issues relating to health effects and the impact on employment. EPC RFID tag specifications specifically include the requirement that the tag will deactivate irrevocably if it receives a ‘kill command’ .

The information supply chain

RFID technologies herald the emergence of disposable computing that will offer new challenges in scalability, flexibility, and security of next-generation as they create the possibility of tracking millions of new transactions, sending and receiving small amounts of data that track the flow of goods and services throughout the supply chain . As more and more data become available in usable forms—particularly data generated after a product leaves the store—the "information supply chain" will begin to function as an independent source of revenue, generating invaluable data about product performance, consumer behavior, and logistics. This will enable businesses to be more responsive to market trends and their customers. Bundling information services with physical products, such as smart appliances, will be another key source of new value.

Industry Adoption: Supplier Pains

Not all industries are expected to be equally likely to adopt RFID technologies. Some industries (like consumer electronics, pharmaceuticals, and toys) are likely to rollout their implementations earlier due to suitable product attributes and category economics.