EPCglobal Announces Royalty-Free EPCglobal UHF Generation 2 Standard

EPCglobal Ratifies Royalty-Free UHF Generation 2 Standard

Announcement Marks Culmination of Collaborative Process

Opens Door for Proliferation of Standards-Based Hardware to Drive EPC Implementations Worldwide

Brussels, Belgium. December 16, 2004.

EPCglobal Inc, a subsidiary of GS1 a not-for-profit standards organization entrusted with driving global adoption of Electronic Product Code (EPC) technology, today announced the ratification of the royalty-free EPCglobal UHF Generation 2 candidate specification. Today's announcement marks the much anticipated completion of the UHF Generation 2 air interface protocol as an EPCglobal standard. With the Generation 2 standard now in place, technology providers will create products that will meet the requirements of suppliers, manufacturers, and end users; and industries as a whole can drive EPC implementation with standards-based equipment.

Today's announcement follows successful testing of prototypes from several technology providers, which illustrated that the ratified standard can meet the EPCglobal community end user requirements, as well as final determination that all intellectual property presented on a licensed basis during the standards development process was not necessary to the standard. Commercially available products are expected the first half of 2005.

"Today marks both an exciting culmination and a much anticipated beginning in the commercialization of RFID and EPC technology," said Chris Adcock, president, EPCglobal Inc. "Many of the world's leading technology companies collaborated to develop the UHF Generation 2 specification, and we celebrate and applaud their efforts as we launch the royalty-free UHF Generation 2 standard. With this standard in place, technology manufacturers and end users alike can begin exploring how to deploy the technology in such a way to make a significant impact in improving their own business."

The EPCglobal UHF Generation 2 protocol, a consensus standard built by more than 60 of the world's leading technology companies, describes the core capabilities required to meet the performance needs set by the end user community. The UHF Generation 2 standard will be used as a base platform upon which standards-based products and future improvements will be built.

An EPCglobal standard ensures interoperability and sets minimum operational expectations for various components in the EPCglobal Network, including hardware components. While EPCglobal oversees interoperability and conformance testing of standards-based products, the actual development of these products comes from leading solution providers around the globe.

During 2004, EPCglobal has worked with the global community of end-users and solution providers to complete a number of activities aimed at building out the EPCglobal Network. The UHF Generation 2 standard is a foundational element in the continued build-out of the EPCglobal Network, a network that combines RFID technology, the Internet and the EPC to provide accurate, cost-efficient visibility of information throughout supply chains.

Concurrent with the ratification of UHF Generation 2, EPCglobal has set up a special committee to consider whether additional numbering features are necessary to the EPCglobal standard. Following the outcome of this work group, EPCglobal plans to submit the Generation 2 standard to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

About EPCglobal Inc.

EPCglobal Inc, a subsidiary of GS1, is a not-for-profit organization entrusted by industry to establish and support the EPCglobal Network as the global standard for real-time, automatic identification of information in the supply chain of any company, anywhere in the world.

The EPCglobal Network combines radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, existing communications network infrastructure, and the Electronic Product Code (a number for uniquely identifying an item) to enable accurate, cost-efficient visibility of information in the supply chain. The end result helps organizations be more efficient, flexible, and responsive to customer needs. EPCglobal US is an affiliate of EPCglobal Inc, serving subscribers in the United States to help foster the adoption of the EPCglobal Network and related technology. For more information about EPCglobal visit: www.EPCglobalinc.org.

About GS1

GS1 is the global not-for-profit organisation that creates, develops and manages the EAN-UCC standards jointly with the Uniform Code Council, one of its Member Organisations. These are open, global, multisectoral information standards, based on best business practices. By driving their implementation, GS1 and its Member Organisations play a leading role in supply and demand chain management improvement worldwide. For more information on EAN International, please visit: www.GS1.org.

Contact

Jack Grasso
EPCglobal
Tel: +1 609.620.4555
Email: jgrasso@uc-council.org

Darren Wallis
Fleishman Hillard
Tel: +1 314.982.0278
Email: wallisd@fleishman.com

Additional References

EPCglobal Standards and Technology
Version 1.0 Specifications
"EPCglobal Ratifies Gen 2 Standard." By Mark Roberti, In RFID Journal (December 16, 2004).
Caveat on Gen 2 a "royalty-free protocol"
"Physical Markup Language (PML) for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)."
"Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Resources and Readings."
PR Source: http://www.epcglobalinc.com/news/pr_detail_epcinc.cfm?release_id=183
Patents and Open Standards - Main reference page.

Prepared by Robin Cover for The XML Cover Pages archive.

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EPCglobal Inc, a subsidiary of GS1 a not-for-profit standards organization entrusted with driving global adoption of Electronic Product Code (EPC) technology, today announced the ratification of the royalty-free EPCglobal UHF Generation 2 candidate specification. Today's announcement marks the much anticipated completion of the UHF Generation 2 air interface protocol as an EPCglobal standard. With the Generation 2 standard now in place, technology providers will create products that will meet the requirements of suppliers, manufacturers, and end users; and industries as a whole can drive EPC implementation with standards-based equipment. Today's announcement follows successful testing of prototypes from several technology providers, which illustrated that the ratified standard can meet the EPCglobal community end user requirements, as well as final determination that all intellectual property presented on a licensed basis during the standards development process was not necessary to the standard. Commercially available products are expected the first half of 2005. "Today marks both an exciting culmination and a much anticipated beginning in the commercialization of RFID and EPC technology," said Chris Adcock, president, EPCglobal Inc. "Many of the world's leading technology companies collaborated to develop the UHF Generation 2 specification, and we celebrate and applaud their efforts as we launch the royalty-free UHF Generation 2 standard. With this standard in place, technology manufacturers and end users alike can begin exploring how to deploy the technology in such a way to make a significant impact in improving their own business." The EPCglobal UHF Generation 2 protocol, a consensus standard built by more than 60 of the world's leading technology companies, describes the core capabilities required to meet the performance needs set by the end user community. The UHF Generation 2 standard will be used as a base platform upon which standards-based products and future improvements will be built. An EPCglobal standard ensures interoperability and sets minimum operational expectations for various components in the EPCglobal Network, including hardware components. While EPCglobal oversees interoperability and conformance testing of standards-based products, the actual development of these products comes from leading solution providers around the globe. During 2004, EPCglobal has worked with the global community of end-users and solution providers to complete a number of activities aimed at building out the EPCglobal Network. The UHF Generation 2 standard is a foundational element in the continued build-out of the EPCglobal Network, a network that combines RFID technology, the Internet and the EPC to provide accurate, cost-efficient visibility of information throughout supply chains. Concurrent with the ratification of UHF Generation 2, EPCglobal has set up a special committee to consider whether additional numbering features are necessary to the EPCglobal standard. Following the outcome of this work group, EPCglobal plans to submit the Generation 2 standard to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). About EPCglobal Inc. EPCglobal Inc, a subsidiary of GS1, is a not-for-profit organization entrusted by industry to establish and support the EPCglobal Network as the global standard for real-time, automatic identification of information in the supply chain of any company, anywhere in the world. The EPCglobal Network combines radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, existing communications network infrastructure, and the Electronic Product Code (a number for uniquely identifying an item) to enable accurate, cost-efficient visibility of information in the supply chain. The end result helps organizations be more efficient, flexible, and responsive to customer needs. EPCglobal US is an affiliate of EPCglobal Inc, serving subscribers in the United States to help foster the adoption of the EPCglobal Network and related technology. For more information about EPCglobal visit: www.EPCglobalinc.org. About GS1 GS1 is the global not-for-profit organisation that creates, develops and manages the EAN-UCC standards jointly with the Uniform Code Council, one of its Member Organisations. These are open, global, multisectoral information standards, based on best business practices. By driving their implementation, GS1 and its Member Organisations play a leading role in supply and demand chain management improvement worldwide. For more information on EAN International, please visit: www.GS1.org. Contact Jack Grasso EPCglobal Tel: +1 609.620.4555 Email: jgrasso@uc-council.org Darren Wallis Fleishman Hillard Tel: +1 314.982.0278 Email: wallisd@fleishman.com Additional References EPCglobal Standards and Technology Version 1.0 Specifications "EPCglobal Ratifies Gen 2 Standard." By Mark Roberti, In RFID Journal (December 16, 2004). Caveat on Gen 2 a "royalty-free protocol" "Physical Markup Language (PML) for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)." "Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Resources and Readings." PR Source: http://www.epcglobalinc.com/news/pr_detail_epcinc.cfm?release_id=183 Patents and Open Standards - Main reference page. Prepared by Robin Cover for The XML Cover Pages archive.