Three radio-frequency (RF) tag vendors have put forward a proposal to two global standards bodies requesting international protocols for RF components. Intermec Technologies Corp. of Everett, Wash.; Phillips Semiconductors of Eindhoven, the Netherlands; and Gemplus of Gemonos, France, first submitted a proposal to the GTAG (Global Tag) project group of the European Article Numbering Association (EAN) and Uniform Code Council (UCC), which is working on setting RFID standards. The three vendors have submitted the same plan to the International Standards Organization (ISO) committee 18000-6.

The proposal would define a common standard to ensure interoperability for users of UHF smart-label technology. Interoperability would ensure that a reader made by one manufacturer would be able to decode labels produced by another manufacturer. "Smart labels," which typically incorporate computer chips packaged with tiny antennas, could be used to track pallets and cartons in distribution.