After four years of testing, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has approved the use of four watt RFID devices. The authorization opens the door to devices which operate in the 920 and 926 MHz band, removing major barriers to adoption of the technology in Australia.
Until now, UHF RFID usage in Australia came under a low interference potential devices (LIPD) class license. This limited the use of RFID power to one watt between the 918 to 926 MHz band. Such restrictions put Australia behind standards and regulations for passive UHF RFID systems internationally, according to GS1 Australia, the local administrator of the EPCglobal RFID standard.
Three years ago, the ACMA licensed GS1 to authorize some companies to conduct site-specific trials of four watt RFID devices. These trials assisted the ACMA in gathering data to gather data to determine if a power increase would have any major effect on devices of adjacent users in that spectrum. ![[end]](/resources/bullet/rfidnews-4.gif)
