HF (high frequency) operates at a frequency of 13.56 MHz and can be used worldwide.
Contactless smart cards, whose operation is regulated by the ISO/IEC 14443 and ISO/IEC 15693 standards, work at a high frequency.
ISO 14443
Standard ISO/IEC 14443 defines the use of so-called proximity cards, which can be detected up to a distance of 10–12 centimetres. They may contain sensitive information such as personal data and monetary amounts, and must only be detected at close range for security reasons.
Users voluntarily identify themselves by bringing the card close to the reading system.
The killer applications of proximity cards include personal identification (electronic ID cards, health insurance cards, electronic passports and badges to detect people’s presence contain a 13.56 MHz chip) and payments (credit cards and prepaid electronic wallets).
RFID tags — RFID wristbands and RFID key fobs — with HF-band chips are an alternative to contactless cards for identification and access control at companies. Their operation is regulated by the same international standard.
ISO 15693
Standard ISO/IEC 15693 defines the use of vicinity cards, which can be detected at a greater distance than proximity cards, up to 1–1.5 metres.
They contain no sensitive information and their most widespread application is as ski passes for access to ski facilities, which contain a passive tag operating at 13.56 MHz. Standard ISO 15693 also regulates RFID hard tags and RFID labels containing an HF-band chip, whose main application for goods identification in logistics.
