AT&T launches national RFID service

AT&T today announced a national sensor-based networking services that uses its global network to enable companies to track mobile resources and to manage Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices. The service seeks to offer a network-based approach for companies to take advantage of the proliferation of sensor devices to manage a wide variety of assets.

Three new services are designed for businesses and for governments who need to track almost any kind of product or device, including vehicles, product inventory, in-building assets such as wheelchairs or medical equipment, or even personnel.

The offerings were developed by AT&T's Business Development unit, a service incubator created when AT&T and SBC Communications merged. The group is also responsible for AT&T's satellite broadband, citywide Wi Fi and Home Monitor and Remote Monitor, as well as the company's Wi MAX efforts.

The three services include Mobile Resource Management, which enables a company to track any mobile asset using sensors and is usually used to track a fleet of vehicles, said Ebrahim Kehsavarz, assistant vice president, Business Development, AT&T.

“It can track stops, speed, the health of vehicle, and fuel consumption,” he said. “Anyone with a lo of vehicles, even governments. We are using it internally on 30,000 of our service vehicles. It helps you manage the fleet proactively through Web-based interface. You can go on Internet and see how fast they are moving all over the country. We see tremendous savings internally.”

In AT&T’s case, the service also uses cellular technology and creates a WiFi hotspot within the vehicle so technicians can go online for information and updates as they go about their jobs, he said.

The second service, AT&T RFID Asset Visibility uses RFID tags to track any high-value item on an active basis. “Hospitals can use it to track wheelchairs or crash carts, any high value item,” Kehsavarz said.

The third service, AT&T Managed Passive RFID service, lets business track entire inventories or shipments, or individual items with the shipment.

“This is an end-to-end service for supply chain management,” he said. “A company can use this without having to invest in all the equipment themselves.”

All three services take advantage of AT&T’s widespread global networking capabilities, Kehsavarz said.

“There are smaller players in RFID and there are a lot of systems integrators, but we don’t think there is any with our network reach offering services like this,” he said. “We’re the first one to provide an end to end service --consulting, setup, design, and the equipment itself. We have the ability to host the data and the applications that make use of the data. We think if you make it more repeatable and more standards-based, the service will be valuable to more businesses.”

AT&T trailed the service a year ago and has been using them internally.