RFID is by now a well-established radio technology. However, the radio system can only be effective if the installation, and the need for it, work hand in hand after some very careful planning and research. This article looks beyond the technology and into that planning process to ensure RFID implementation is a success.

While spectrum, its accessibility, allocation and use were the all-absorbing topics of the ACMA’s fourth RadComms conference, the authority’s chairman, Chris Chapman, covered a range of other topics in his opening address in Melbourne. This is an edited version of his presentation.

Imec and the Holst Centre have developed an ultra-low-power 2.4 GHz/915 MHz receiver with good sensitivity. The receiver runs on a record low power consumption of 51 µW when on continuously. It occupies 0.36 mm² in 90 nm CMOS, and for 10 Kbps on-off keying reception it achieves -69 dBm and -80 dBm sensitivity at 2.4 GHz and 915 MHz.

An eight-week trial of satellite-delivered, high-speed broadband for two remote rural South Island schools in New Zealand has been completed. The trial, aimed to test the effectiveness of satellite as a means of providing a high-speed broadband link, was conducted in Winchester Rural School in Canterbury and Haast Rural School on the west coast.

Operating railways safely has been of paramount importance since the earliest days of steam locomotion. How to ensure that a driver can not only see but act on a signal aspect has always been top of the list of requirements. Now radio is providing a means of reducing human failure as this story of US experiences shows.

Papers on various radio technologies were presented at last year’s RadioComms Connect event in Melbourne. This article looks at another of the technologies discussed - P25 - and charts some of its evolving features.

Recent emergency situations have arisen in Britain, including severe flooding, extreme weather and even terrorist attacks. These have highlighted, repeatedly, just how vulnerable some sections of society can be in such circumstances. Now British researchers, writing in the International Journal of Emergency Management suggest that wireless could hold the key to remedying this problem.

Two radio links - one to a mine and the other to a construction site - have allowed broadband communications where there was practically no coverage before.

A digital radio system that is designed to make more efficient use of the spectrum will use a 6.25 kHz bandwidth and have increased range.

Imec presented several solutions for 60 GHz communication at the recent International Solid State Circuit Conference in the US.

Altair Semiconductor and Aeroflex have formed a joint long-term evolution collaboration.

Remote central locking is among the most convenient aspects of modern motoring. Transmission of the radio signal that activates the system is not particularly secure, however. A new encryption technique increases security without draining the key’s battery.

The primary remit of public safety communications is to provide a safe and secure environment to allow people to go about their daily business. This goal is not something that changes with the country, although the approaches taken and solutions required will differ as the geographical area and population density varies from one market to another.

The launch of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research is a boost to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project.

The ACMA’s field operations section has a broad range of responsibilities and undertakes a number of activities around Australia, including signal monitoring, compliance investigations and identifying and investigating domestic and radiocommunications interference. The section has also been engaged to take measurements for the digital switchover.