World cup spurs RFID kick-off

Bangalore: The much-awaited 2006 FIFA World cup got off to a rousing start in

Germany on June 9. Besides the hot favorites, the world's most popular event

also features large-scale implementation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

technology. All the 3.2 million tickets to the 64 matches are being sold with an

embedded RFID tag containing identification information that will be checked

against a database as fans pass through the gates. This mega-contract that is

probably the most wide spread RFID deployment in the sporting world, was awarded

to Royal Philips Electronics.

Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)

officials were keen on this technology to prevent illegal trading and make it

impossible to gain entry with a counterfeit ticket. Each tag will contain the

name, address, birth date, nationality, and ID card of the person who bought the

ticket. German authorities did not want to take any chances on security issues

at the event. The terrorist attack on eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich

Olympic Games is still fresh in the minds of many.

Another potential RFID deployment plan -this one for tags embedded within a

ball, was shelved last year. This technology was pushed by a company called

Cairos and could help in scenarios in which a judge found it difficult to

determine if a ball had crossed the goal line.

The RFID journal quotes Adidas, which said that the technology would require

further development and testing before it could be used at tournaments of the

highest professional level.

Mobile TV to get a boost

The world cup frenzy is also set to send fans rushing to access the live

sporting action not just on their television screens but also on their handhelds.

According to research agency, Informa Telecoms & Media, the event could

adrenalize the launch of broadcast services across various countries.

For the next few years, Informa Telecoms & Media expects the worldwide

broadcast devices market to be dominated by sales from the strongholds of South

Korea and Japan, but by 2011, the markets of the US, China and Europe will have

grown to be the key regions.

At present, service providers like 3 Italia in Italy and Debitel in Germany,

would be streaming the matches across DVB-H and T-DMB networks onto mobile

phones. Informa expects revenues of $300 million from users accessing the mobile

broadcast services during the World Cup.

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