RFID is maturing, and one sign is the coming together last week of 20 RFID vendors to create a patent-pool consortium. The goal is to make it easier for users to access RFID intellectual property. ABI Research's Erik Michielsen rightly points out that RFID is no longer merely about hardware such as tags and readers. Many of the companies who joined to form the coalition have interests which include full integration of RFID with end-users business' systems. The new group and other aspects of the current state of RFID are part of a new ABI Research study titled, "RFID Integration Services Markets," which also includes models for RFID verticals and applications with a focus on RFID reader software.

It is precisely this broader view of RFID and its potential which is drawing more companies into the field. Among these firms are large IT-based companies such as IBM, with its WebSphere RFID Device Infrastructure, Microsoft, SAP, and Oracle, all of which are actively involved in trying to tie RFID information into enterprise architectures. Smaller companies such as TrueDemand Software, OATSystems, Connecterra, and ACSIS are trying to position themselves to complement these bigger companies.

For more on this ABI Research's study:
- see the firm's website