With just three weeks until this year’s major radio and combined communications event opens in Melbourne, the list of those involved continues to grow. Exhibitors, speakers and delegates from Europe, the USA and Asia are signing up for what is proving itself to be a worthy addition to the calendar.

A multi-year contract to supply Hong Kong international airport with up to 70 million RFID labels will see speedier and more reliable luggage handling for many of the 48 million passengers that use the airport each year.

After last year’s tremendous success which saw the radio communication industry’s finest get together, RadioComms Connect will return to Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, on 18-19 November for the third year running. Last year, almost 250 end users gathered for this informative two-day event, with delegates travelling locally, nationally and internationally to attend.

Radio technologies that promise blisteringly fast Wi-Fi have been given a boost by a team of European researchers’ work on miniscule microchips.

These days, collaboration is key. The problems faced by users of radio communication products has allowed the industry to develop, with many new technologies currently being employed.

In one of the most detailed radiofrequency mapping projects ever carried out in Britain, one technology innovator is undertaking the first Britain-wide radio spectrum monitoring for Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for British communications industries with responsibilities across TV, radio, telecoms and wireless services.

Fuelled by a new spirit of cooperation between European and Chinese technology experts, a Plugtests interoperability testing event has helped to ensure the effective worldwide application of RFID in postal applications.

The ACMA’s 2009 update of developments in technology, Trends in Communications and Media Technology, Applications and Use, has identified five key developments that are placing pressure on media and communications regulation.

The real-time images allow operators to see what the problem is and ultimately will help the centre in assessing the kind of response that may be needed.

Confidex, a company with expertise in RFID design, manufacturing and engineering, has supplied more than 10,000 of its Ironside UHF Gen2 hard tags to the London Underground.

Ergon Energy of Queensland, one of Australia’s largest electricity companies, has partnered with Zetron to develop and implement a new, integrated, customised communications system for the utility.

At what point did it become fashionable and corporately clever to outsource communication projects to global organisations rather than lead with courage and vision to support and build these radio communication systems and foster Aussie innovators.

Mobile users want better video calls, streaming television and faster downloads, placing more demands on the limited radio spectrum available to operators. Could handsets that intelligently sense their radio environment and opportunistically grab free bandwidth be a solution?

In the event of a disaster, the emergency services have to be able to trust communication networks. But what happens if the network is overloaded or even off the air as a result of the disaster?

Two companies have created a solution that takes into account the needs and goals of a variety of system users as well as management.