IEC approves WirelessHART as wireless communication standard

04/06/2010

Austin, Texas, --The HART Communication Foundation (www.hartcomm.org) has announced that the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has approved the WirelessHART specification as a full international standard (IEC 62591Ed. 1.0). The unanimous vote on March 26, 2010, by the IEC National Committees of 28 countries confirms the broad global support for WirelessHART technology as the international standard for wireless communication in process automation.
 
"The overwhelming approval by IEC fulfills the request of users for a single international wireless communication standard that is supported by major automation suppliers," says HART Communication Foundation Executive Director Ron Helson. "WirelessHART technology has been confirmed by both users and suppliers to be a technically sound, reliable and secure solution for wireless communication in process automation."
 
A growing number of WirelessHART compatible products are available today from major global suppliers including ABB, Emerson, Endress+Hauser, Pepperl+Fuchs, Siemens and others. 
 
Released in September 2007, WirelessHART is an open and interoperable wireless communication standard designed to address the critical needs of industry for reliable, robust and secure wireless communication in real-time industrial process measurement and control applications.
 
WirelessHART is a backward compatible, evolutionary enhancement to the HART Communication Protocol, a communication technology for intelligent process measurement and control field devices and systems with more than 30 million devices installed and operating in process plant applications around the globe.
 
The IEC prepares and publishes international standards for electrical, electronic and related technologies.