565 Million...and growing!

More than 565 million high-frequency RFID tag ICs were shipped in 2005, according to the latest findings of ABI Research's RFID Tag IC Market Sizing Database.

RFID industry analyst Sara Shah says, "In the year from 1Q 2005 to 1Q 2006, shipments of HF ISO14443 tag ICs increased 104%, the highest growth rate of any segment we measured. This growth can be attributed to an increase in contactless payment cards and personal identification documents, such as e-passports. Both are high volume, high growth applications."

As RFID technology continues to grow and prices begin to drop, the technology will become more viable for businesses of any size. Standard adoption will eventually allow competing vendors' products to seemlessly interact - further fueling RFID’s growth spurt.