The RFID technology (radio frequency identification technology) is comparable with the barcode-technology. However the objects can be identified contactlessly by RFID. Thus existing applications can be automated or facilitated and even new services could be realized completely.

Manufacturers predict for 2006 a whole year world production of 3 billion RFID transponders. Since besides newest developments make the RFID technology still more attractive, many experts say it is only a question of the time until RFID will become generally accepted also within the consumer world.

So that Switzerland in relation to other industrialized countries in Europe does not lose its lead in the RFID-technology, but to develop it further, Swiss companies must determinate as early as possible potential risks and chances of a broad introduction on the market. Exactly this determination of the chances and risks for the broad employment of the RFID technology in Switzerland was the motivation on which this study was accomplished.

The first part of the documentation brings up the knowledge of the reader on an optimal level. In a further step the individual problems and possible issues for users are then emphasized. The next part is the analysis. In this part is pointed out, where and how high the chances and risks of RFID are and how the positive or negative consequences could look like. In order to control the stated risks, a set of effective and well corresponding solutions were inserted into this report. The compiled proposals are then summarized in last part of the documentation again. This in order to emphasize and to point the most important results out again and to show how far the proposals are already introduced in practice. After attentive reading of this document, a technically trained person should be able to measure which further procedure is suitable, so that RFID can be introduced to the Swiss consumers on a wider range.