The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has approved the WirelessHart specification as the first international standard for wireless communication in process automation applications. In a unanimous vote on 26 March, the IEC national committees of 28 countries endorsed the WirelessHart technology in the IEC 62591 Ed 1.0 standard.

“The overwhelming approval by IEC fulfils the request of users for a single international wireless communication standard that is supported by major automation suppliers,” says Ron Helson, executive director of the Hart Communication Foundation. “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.”

Suppliers already offering WirelessHart-compatible products include ABB, Emerson, Endress+Hauser, Pepperl+Fuchs, and Siemens.

WirelessHart, released in September 2007, is an open, interoperable standard designed to provide secure wireless communications in real-time industrial process measurement and control applications. It is a backwards-compatible enhancement of the Hart Communication Protocol that is already used in more than 30 million devices in process plants around the world,