Reva Systems, the leading RFID infrastructure provider, announced that its Tag Acquisition Processor (TAP) product family was selected as the RFID infrastructure solution for an international RFID rollout by the Universal Postal Union (UPU).
The UPU's Global Monitoring System (GMS) will begin with 21 member countries deploying RFID to measure mail-service quality between participating nations. With headquarters in Berne, Switzerland, the UPU sets rules for international mail exchanges and helps to ensure an accessible, efficient, and high quality global network of modern postal communications.
The GMS will be launched this month, beginning with the insertion of RFID tags into test letters measuring the time taken to deliver mail. This data will be sent to the central information management system operated by the UPU's International Bureau and could be used to calculate terminal dues.
The UPU's standards-based GMS architecture utilizes UHF Gen2 tags that will be automatically read by portals at exchange offices around the world. Portal functions and collection of tag data will be managed by Reva TAPs at each location.
The UPU selected AIDA Centre, an RFID systems integrator based in Spain, to supply RFID tags and equipment for the GMS project. Further expansion beyond the initial 21 countries to as many as 100 countries is anticipated beginning in 2010.
"We have already been using the Reva Systems TAP in production with other postal customers since 2008," said Joan Pons, Managing Director at AIDA Centre. "So Reva's TAP was the platform of choice when we responded to the UPU tender. Along with its core infrastructure features, the TAP product line also allows us to rapidly develop and host our own value-added capabilities to meet the UPU's specific requirements." Pons also noted that remote management capabilities and reliability across both network and power outages were key requirements for UPU's production system.
"Reva Systems is pleased to work with AIDA Centre in commissioning our products for the UPU," said Ashley Stephenson, Reva Systems chairman and co-founder. "Whether providing infrastructure for a single portal in a remote exchange or 50 portals in a busy western European mail hub, the scalable family of Reva TAP solutions enables a rugged and easily deployable solution."
"For the UPU GMS, a robust RFID platform that can be rapidly deployed to countries around the world was required," said Pons, AIDA Centre. "The Reva TAP meets all of our needs."
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