Chipset company Qualcomm, retailer Decathlon and RAIN maker Impinj have been working toward a world of RFID-enabled phones and other devices

(this article appeared in the December 6, 2024 issue of RFID Journal)

Technology companies and at least one retailer have been working on innovations that could enable phones and other handsets to read UHF RAIN RFID tags as part of the device’s existing architecture.

Semiconductor company Qualcomm recently made a statement that it is integrating RAIN RFID functionality in its mobile device chipsets, signaling a step toward a world in which workers and consumers use their phones or tablets to engage with RFID-tagged products or assets.

While challenges lie ahead for widescale consumer use, integration of RAIN RFID into mobile devices is rapidly progressing, said Matt Branda, Impinj’s VP of product management.

RAIN Alliance president Aileen Ryan pointed to Qualcomm’s projection of initial rollouts focusing on enterprise mobile devices, expected within a few quarters. Consumer devices equipped with RFID technology are expected to follow.

Retail Testing Underway

To that end, sporting goods retailer Decathlon is in the process of testing enterprise RFID smartphones to determine if the application in phones could maximize operational efficiency and boost in-store customer experience.

In a statement to RAIN Alliance, the retailer reported “by allowing our customers to directly connect with our products through RFID-enabled smartphones, we will empower them with unparalleled seamless omnichannel shopping journeys and open a new era of amazing experiences in sport practice and product services.”

Enterprise Level Handsets for Earliest Releases

“The ‘why’ of RAIN-enabled handsets is driven by a very real need and we must keep that front of mind,” Ryan said. She pointed out that already tens of billions of RAIN RFID tags are applied every year (that average is estimated to soon reach hundred billion per annum), and they can be used to greater benefit if smartphones had access to the data encoded on those tags.

“It makes logical and commercial sense to ensure the investment in this technology can be leveraged throughout the full lifecycle of the item to which it’s attached,” said Ryan. “Not only providing transparency throughout the full supply chain but also ensuring the consumer can access meaningful information about the item at, and beyond, the point of sale.”

By making handsets—that are in the hands and pockets of workers and consumers—into RAIN RFID readers, the technology’s potential could grow exponentially, she pointed out.  The RAIN Alliance’s board, “and our members are fully committed to ensuring these systems work in their entirety.”

Part of the effort is underway by technology companies; to enable integration of RAIN RFID into mobile chipsets from companies like Qualcomm. These chipsets would need to enable RFID software integration and optimization for wide-scale mobile device adoption, said Matt Branda, Impinj’s product VP.

Consumer Handsets to Follow

Initial deployments would consist of enterprise mobile devices used commercially, followed by consumer handsets. And in the meantime, said Branda “there’s a lot of things—as far overall industry and an ecosystem [requirements]—that we need to go work through, to really get the full utility and full functionality.”

Currently, some retailers provide their staff members with mobile devices with embedded RAIN RFID reader modules or accessories, in which the hardware and software of the device is split between the reader technology and other functionality of the mobile devices.

“The next step you’ll see is integration with those employee or enterprise devices where they’re becoming part of the mobile chipset platforms,” said Branda. That could make RFID a base feature on a phone or handset, similar to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and, most recently, ultra-wideband (UWB).

Once the single architecture device is released on the enterprise level, technology integration could be next for consumer-based devices, Branda speculated. That would mean in the future, most individuals with a smartphone would be able to read RAIN RFID tags.

Making RAIN RFID Tags Plentiful and Secure

There are obstacles to wide adoption however, one of which is proliferation of such RFID tags. Although there are billions of tags in circulation, they are not on all—or even the majority—of products yet.

Privacy is another concern. Most RAIN RFID tags are either disabled or torn off at the point of sale (PoS) in part to ensure there are no unauthorized efforts to read a tag on an individual’s possession.

Branda pointed out that “there’s a lot of potential utility between that point of sale and the recycler,” in which RAIN RFID tags are not in use. That includes not only consumer utility but brands and retailers being able to interact with consumers after they leave the point of sale with a new product.

Additionally, a movement toward more embedded tagging could change the dynamic of removing labels at the point of purchase.

Some label companies are building RFID into the care labels or even clothing itself, while tire manufacturer Michelin has been able to build RFID tags directly into the wall of a tire. With the EU’s Digital Product Passport (DPP) legislation requiring a digital record of a product from manufacture to disposal or recycling, such efforts are likely to continue, driven by sustainability initiatives.

Privacy efforts need to help find ways that consumers can choose what they’re sharing with who at what times—when the tags can be read, by whom, and who receives the data.

Protected Mode As a Starting Point

As a step in that direction, Impinj introduced Protected Mode in its tag chips that makes tags invisible to RFID readers. The tag can be returned to normal operation and made visible to readers using a secure pin if the product was returned to the store.

And if a consumer-facing RFID system were in use, consumers would need a way to interact with an item and capture basic information, via an RFID read, without having to download apps. At the same time, Branda pointed out “you also have to do that in a way that creates some opportunity for the retailer and the brands to be able to interact with those consumers.”

In the coming months and years, RAIN Alliance’s working groups will focus on overcoming the obstacles ahead as well as identifying potential use cases and expanding capabilities. The RAIN Alliance’s board, said Ryan, “is currently working through the 2025 to 2030 strategic plan and everything related to the development and adoption of RAIN in a B2C context forms a core focus.”

As the alliance members develop their strategic plan, “we anticipate that multiple key work activities will progress rapidly, including defining a ‘resolver’ capability for RAIN identifiers as well as ideating, defining and studying the key use-cases or user-stories for consumers interacting with RAIN technology,” said Ryan.

Impinj intends to participate in the working groups and encourages other members of the industry to do the same, said Branda.

Interacting with Consumers

Once consumers have access to their own RAIN RFID reader in their phones, opportunities for such RFID use cases may be extensive both in-store and beyond-store.

Impinj has queried customers and partners about what application might be preferred if RAIN RFID were in an employee device or in a consumer device, The responses have been eye-opening, Branda said. Responses included:

  • “We want our customers [or employees] to crowd-source item location in our stores”
  • “We want to engage our customers through their connected items”
  • “We need to improve safety while reducing the impact of product recalls”
  • “We want to know when people are wearing our clothes”
  • “We want to deliver an item locating service for consumers”

Retailers could start to understand more information about shopper behavior in the store itself, but also how they use a product once they take it home. If the phone continues to read the tag, stores might begin to gather anonymized data about how often a product is worn or how quickly it is discarded.

“There are even more use cases for RAIN readers in mobile handsets when it comes to the emerging EU DPP legislation,” said Ryan. “This includes the ability to access DPP product data via a consumer smartphone; exploring manufacturing history and a product’s characteristics and features to make informed choices; retrieving end-of-life and recycling information; revealing counterfeiting; and proving product authenticity in the rental, product-as-a-service, and second-life market.”

Ryan forecasts that enterprise, consumer and sustainability use cases will drive additional value for the numerous stakeholders who have access to a product’s RAIN RFID label.