A segmented solenoid coil antenna for UHF near-field RFID applications is reported herewith for the first time. A large read zone, in comparison to the antenna size is achieved using an antenna made of 4-turns of wire, wrapped around a cylinder of diameter 5 cm and height 2.6 cm. Similar to HF RFID reader antennas, it has been proved that by increasing the number of turns, it is possible to concentrate and make magnetic field in the antenna surrounding zone uniform, and thus increase the read range. This improvement first modeled in simulations, is then realized and validated experimentally. In the optimum configuration, the maximum read range is increased by 6 cm in comparison to a single turn planar loop. In addition to enhancement in read performance, this antenna is fabricated on a flexible substrate using a low cost printing process.