APRIL 13, 2003
 Cover Story
 Editorial
 Features
 Trends
 Placements
 60 Minutes
 BT Event
 MVA Tables
 Banks Table
 Columns
 Careers
 People

Telecom Brand Games
Been watching the CDMA-versus-GSM battle from the edge of your seat, have you? Good, battles for the technology standard are always exciting. But what about the brand battle? Is the market really as commoditised as it appears? Here's a brand-versus-brand look at the business.


Cup Of Whoahs
So, now that we've reached the grand finale of the great game to glue eyeballs, and Sachin Tendulkar is crowned the Big Winner, let's take a good hard-nosed business look at the real winners. A good hard look, that is, at what the Cup's biggest stakeholders—the advertisers—achieved over the season.

More Net Specials

Business Today,  March 30, 2003
 
 
Humans To Cyborgs
Chip implants promise to change life and work as we know them.

Some months ago (BT, December 8, 2002), I wrote in this column about electronic implants that could extend the sensory abilities of humans to thousands of kilometres, and turn us into cyborgs. While this is in the realms of what is possible, but nevertheless distant, there is another implant that is here. This is a radio frequency identification chip implant. The chip is so small (a few millimetres in length) that it can be easily embedded anywhere.

The radio frequency identification chip (RFID) is basically an electronic device that stores a small amount of data (its identity) and has an in-built transmitter and an antenna. It can be interrogated by a scanner to which the chip transmits its identity.

   
   

The RFID does not have a power source of its own. Instead, it derives power from the scanner beam. This reduces the size and cost of the chip. Thanks to the innovative technology and manufacturing techniques that have gone into designing the RFID, the price of such a chip is now estimated to be around 10 cents (around Rs 5) when produced on a mass scale.

At this price, a vast range of applications are possible and viable. In the near future, these low-cost chips will no longer be used just for esoteric and specialised purposes, but will move into mass-scale usage.

RFID is rising in the popularity charts across industries. Already, there are reports that Gillette will launch RFID-embedded blade packets, and is in the process of ordering a few billion chips. Benetton is also considering attaching chips to the labels of the garments it manufactures and ships out of its factories. The ratio of chips to labels: 1:1.

In both cases, the respective companies will be in a position to keep track of the items as they move off the shop shelves, enabling a fully-automated inventory management, purchasing, ordering and billing system. Benetton, for example, would know the number of shirts of a particular design, size, and colour that was sold by each outlet in real time.

In the long-run, the use of RFID is expected to help companies to reap quantum gains in areas ranging from production to delivery to inventories.

While potential users say that the chip would be disabled after sale of the product, manufacturers could in theory continue to track their products. Consider this: you walk into a shop and thanks to your RFID-embedded shirt, the system immediately recognises you. It knows your style and colour preferences, size and probably your budget as well. The salesperson (could well be a robot!) immediately guides you to the right shelves and shows you a selection of the appropriate clothing. A bit unbelievable, isn't it? But not impossible.

However, basic human nature and needs may scuttle applications that are designed on the basis of the less predictable aspects of human behaviour. On a particular day, you may prefer blue, while you may opt for green on another.

Today, you may be shopping for yourself, while you may be buying a gift for a friend tomorrow. So your preferences are likely to vary. But, in case of more predictable interactions, the shirt could, of course, 'talk' to the washing machine and make sure that the water temperature and the detergent are appropriate for the fabric.

Let us look at an RFID-embedded future: the chip is embedded in your suitcase to do away with misplacement of baggage at the airport; a chip in every trans-border package, facilitating customs clearance; RFID-embedded vehicles, so that toll taxes are automatically charged and stolen vehicles tracked. Instead of only a hologram, would it not be better to have a chip embedded in the license plate of every vehicle? What about embedding chips in files in government offices so that the progress of each file can be monitored?

A chip embedded in every human body would be a great way to provide a unique identification to every individual. There would be no need for ration cards or passports. But do we want this? Here is a technology that promises to revolutionise the world. It's chosen retail and trade to start with. Information technology, once again, is driving new ideas, but raising deep questions.


These are the personal views of author and not necessarily of NASSCOM. The author can be reached at kkarnik@nasscom.org

 

    HOME | EDITORIAL | COVER STORY | FEATURES | TRENDS | PLACEMENTS | 60 MINUTES
BT EVENT | MVA TABLES | BANKS TABLE | COLUMN | JOBS TODAY | PEOPLE


 
   

Partners: BESTEMPLOYERSINDIA

INDIA TODAY | INDIA TODAY PLUS | SMART INC
ARCHIVESCARE TODAY | MUSIC TODAY | ART TODAY | SYNDICATIONS TODAY