A European partnership for an international ambition

ZERO1, a pioneer in light communication (LC) and optical camera communication (OCC) technology is pleased to announce the signing of a strategic partnership with SITUM, a leading company in navigation and indoor location systems.

Combining LED light with a powerful geolocation system, extremely precise guidance, and the reception of information on smartphones are the promise of this unique partnership.

Together, SITUM and ZERO1 encourage the adoption of green technology with low power, energy, low interference, low maintenance while offering ultra-high reliability and an unprecedented user experience.

SITUM’s platform for indoor navigation and localization will be the first in the world to integrate the OCC of ZERO1 (defined as an international standard) this opening to all sectors the possibility of using what is already available, namely the LED infrastructure in buildings.

It is also a partnership between two European companies, which place innovation at the heart of building management services, shopping centers, airports, hospitals, stadiums, head offices, factories, or museums…

The combination of SITUM IPS and ZERO1 OCC technologies will further enhance businesses. It will allow many users to adopt new mobility habits while discovering new POIs without wasting time searching for them.


Signify and Intelligent Waves enter into strategic collaboration

Trulifi Intelligent Waves

 

LiFi offers additional layer of data security and reliable communications infrastructure for defense personnel in challenging, high-risk operational locations.

Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, has entered into a strategic technology collaboration with Intelligent Waves, developer of the award-winning, cyber-defense solution, GRAYPATH. Together, Signify’s game-changing LiFi solution, Trulifi, and the GRAYPATH software use invisible light waves to enable reliable, secure, two-way wireless data communication, providing defense personnel with mission-critical connectivity.

Signify’s unique Trulifi solution offers physical security via dedicated USB access keys and a consistent, high-speed wireless connection through light, while GRAYPATH uses the cloud to randomize and distribute data across multiple paths and encrypted channels. The technology integration enables the secure transmission of data from high-risk operational locations without the danger of information being jammed, intercepted or disrupted.

“We are excited to offer our solution, in partnership with Intelligent Waves, to the defense industry,” said Richard Honey, Head of Trulifi by Signify sales, US Defense sector.

“Light-based communication, unlike conventional radio technologies such as Wi-Fi and 4G/5G, offers a critical, extra layer of security; it can be controlled within a restricted space and does not penetrate through walls. This benefit has already been recognized by defense customers, with the US Army, Navy and Marines adopting our game-changing LiFi technology.”

John Hammes, Chief Strategy Officer of Intelligent Waves, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Signify, a pioneer in lighting and light-based communication. Together, we will be able to better serve the most demanding and secure special operators in austere environments, and we look forward to integrating Signify’s innovation into the platform.”

According to Joe Vano, Transmission Group Lead, Program Management Office – Tactical Network, Technical Management Division of the US Army, “LiFi can enhance the Low Probability of Intercept/Low Probability of Detection attribute on the battlefield. This secures the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) to a higher degree due to its insignificant and largely undetectable RF signature while maintaining high-speed connectivity within the TOC. Reducing our adversaries’ ability to intercept and jam the battlefield Commander’s network while still maintaining a network cable-free environment within the TOC is advantageous.”

More information about Trulifi by Signify and its benefits for the defense industry can be found here.


MEET A MEMBER: Signify

Signify are a world leader in lighting. They are unlocking the extraordinary potential of light, providing professional customers and consumers with connected lighting offerings that bring both light and the data connectivity.

We spoke to Musa Unmehopa, Head of Ecosystems and Strategic Alliances at Signify, and got his views on the progress Signify and the development of the light communication ecosystem.

Who are Signify and what role do you play in the light communication ecosystem?

Signify is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. Trulifi by Signify is the perfect solution for light communications. It’s a range of LiFi systems, providing two-way wireless communications that provides consistent high-speed connectivity, unique physical security and has low latency for real time data streaming. Trulifi underlines our strategy to unlock the potential of light to address new high-growth markets. Through our global presence, large installed base and industry knowledge, we’re helping existing and new customers to leverage their existing and future lighting infrastructures to receive reliable, secure, high-speed wireless communication.

What do you think the future holds for light communication?

Our focus is on the present, the future starts now. LiFi has progressed and ripened in research and academia for years. And while we will continue to see exciting technological advancements in our labs, in terms of transmission speed, use of novel materials, etc., the base LiFi technology is ready for mainstream deployment. Commercial deployments are being rolled out today to address real-life use cases in key market segments. We believe initial LiFi deployments will focus on those use cases where RF-based wireless communications poses a challenge, either due to physical or legislative constraints. And subsequently, as the RF spectrum becomes increasingly scarce and congested, LiFi will evolve into a mature complementary technology next to Wi-Fi and 5G/6G.

What successes have you enjoyed recently as a business in light communication?

We see great and increasing momentum. As part of some of our recent wins, we have installed Trulifi 6016 for outdoor use in the Dutch air force to enable wireless connectivity where radio is not an option. World forum in The Hague uses Trulifi 6002 office solution to provide their customers with secure and reliable connectivity without running the risk of eaves dropping in highly sensitive situations. Orange Luxembourg use Trulifi in their major store to demonstrate the potential of LiFi in the consumer market. Also, already four schools in Belgium (three in Wallonia and one in Brussels) have installed Trulifi by Signify, following successful installations in schools in Italy, Germany, the US and the Netherlands.

What are the key developments you would like to see in the light communication ecosystem?

To enable the LiFi market to grow to its full potential, it is essential that the standards-based, multi-vendor ecosystem continues to expand. A key development will be miniaturization as a key step towards integration into consumer end devices. For this, we need a stable standard with available silicon, and an interoperability certification program. The ITU-T G.9991 (G.vlc) standard in conjunction with the tried and tested certification program of the HomeGrid Forum, as well as chipsets that have been commercially available now for several years, provide the necessary conditions for the LiFi ecosystem to thrive. Trulifi by Signify has embraced this standard throughout its portfolio.


pureLiFi pushes connectivity in the home to new limits with LiFi@Home™.

pureLiFi, the Edinburgh based firm, have released the world’s first LiFi ecosystem for the consumer market, named LiFi@Home™.

The company’s “LiFi@Home” system has been launched at a major industry conference, MWC Barcelona, which is where world-leading companies share the latest thought leadership about the progression and future of connectivity.

LiFi is a wireless technology that uses light rather than radio frequencies to transmit data and aims to provide faster, more reliable wireless communications compared to conventional technologies such as WiFi and 5G which can suffer from congestion and interference.

A report produced by the McKinsey Global Institute estimates that only about 70% of the global demand for digital connections leading up to 2030 will be satisfied by existing radio frequency and related technologies, even with advancements such as 5G and WiFi 6.

“The door is open for LiFi to fill the gap. LiFi is key to unlocking the next generation of connected experiences in an ecosystem where WiFi and 5G alone are not enough. What we’ve demonstrated here for the first time is how simple it is to bring LiFi into consumer environments. We’ve done all the hard work to make LiFi easy to integrate and simple to get started.” Says pureLiFi CEO, Alistair Banham.

The LiFi@Home™ family of LiFi connected experiences consists of a consumer style downlighter, a smartphone, a smart TV and an AR Headset all connected by LiFi. The LiFi@Home system is powered by an easy to install power line communication (PLC) network backhaul that uses existing electrical cabling to connect everything to the internet. Installing the LiFi@Home™ system is as simple as changing a downlighter.

The number of connected devices in the average US home more than doubled in the past two years, according to Deloitte. As more devices connect to struggling home WiFi networks, bandwidth is split, interference increases and response times slow for everyone.

Adding LiFi to a home will not only accommodate the growing demand for connected devices, it will also improve the user experience. LiFi enables more reliable connectivity that significantly improves latency and jitter and does not divide bandwidth. Next generation experiences such as the metaverse and 8K streaming will be possible for everyone.

pureLiFi’s demonstration of consumer ready LiFi products is enabled by their world leading light antennas which are compatible with the same WiFi basebands that already exist in billions of connected devices, allowing for easy integration of LiFi technology.

At MWC in Barcelona, pureLiFi CEO Alistair Banham made a direct call to the industry to show leadership beyond using WiFi and 5G. “LiFi is for leaders who want to differentiate and offer their customers the best experience. We are calling on the industry to look beyond ordinary and unleash innovation with LiFi. The next and best in connectivity solutions is ready for the taking. LiFi is ready to design into your products and put you at the forefront of the next big wave of technology innovation.”

This latest advancement comes after multiple successful large-scale deployments of LiFi with the US Army to provide more reliable and secure mission critical communications. With the addition of LiFi@Home™ to pureLiFi’s offering, LiFi continues on the classic journey of taking proven technology from the defence sector into hands of everyone. pureLiFi will be demonstrating LiFi@Home™ throughout the week at MWC in Barcelona and sharing their vision to connect everything and everyone with LiFi.


Citing security, The Hague’s conference centre deploys LiFi.

Wi-Fi remains in place, but a small trial could lead to a wider rollout of the light-based data communications technology, promoted as more hacker proof than its RF counterpart.

Ask any purveyor of Li-Fi about the technology’s advantages, and the short list will always include “It’s more secure than Wi-Fi.” To that end, vendor Signify has supported a convention group that hosts an annual cybersecurity gathering in The Hague to install a small pilot of the light-based Internet delivery medium.

Holland’s World Forum The Hague cited security as the reason why it has outfitted one of its 35 meeting rooms with two Signify Trulifi luminaires and USB dongles that 16 users can plug into their own laptops to gain a level of security that tops the Wi-Fi already in place.

Compared to the radio waves of Wi-Fi, the light waves of Li-Fi are a more difficult target because hackers need a direct line of sight to the light source, which they cannot obtain if the Li-Fi is in a closed room.

“Although World Forum The Hague has a highly secure Wi-Fi network, an increasing amount of our clients are cautious to work with Wi-Fi due to the growing number of security breaches we see in the news,” said Marije Bouwman, the center’s Director of Operations, Safety, and Security. “With Trulifi we can now offer our high level clients a broadband connection that is wireless, reliable, and secure.”

The center’s roster of gatherings includes the Global Conference on Cyber Security, the World Press Freedom Conference, and the Climate Adaptation Summit 2021.

“The content of some of the events that it hosts can be highly sensitive,” a Signify spokesperson noted. “That means that World Forum The Hague wants to do whatever it takes to provide visitors and participants the assurance that their data is routinely and rigorously secured, and the venue has become a frontrunner in safety and security. Their measures are reviewed ahead of every event and adjusted if needed.”

The initial deployment is small, limited at the moment to the one 62m2 (667-ft2) meeting room.

“This is considered a first step in rolling out to other meeting rooms,” a spokesperson for World Forum The Hague told LEDs Magazine. The center also includes a 12,000m2 (129,000-ft2) exhibition hall, although it’s not clear whether there are any intentions to use it in that space. World Forum The Hague is part of a French global events group — GL Events — which purchased the Li-Fi equipment, so it’s possible that the parent company might use the Dutch deployment as a trial for installations elsewhere around the world. GL rents the building from the city of The Hague, which owns it.

World Forum The Hague installed the two luminaires last month, and has not yet used it live because the COVID-19 lockdown has kept the doors shut.


India’s highest altitude institute gets LiFi network for faster internet.

The Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) has become the first-of-its-kind institute in the Union Territory to have an internet connection using Light Fidelity (LiFi) technology.

Ahmedabad-based Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt Ltd has set up a LiFi network at India’s highest altitude educational organisation to help the local education fraternity.

LiFi means transmitting data with a light beam spectrum through open space in outdoor and indoor environments. LiFi systems provide ultra-fast data connections, and are especially useful in urban areas where radio spectra are congested and also very useful in rural areas wherein Fiber Optic Cables or networks are not reachable.

With this LiFi setup, it said the faculties and students would get faster and safer internet connections over the existing electric power lines for various educational purposes.

Nav Wireless Technologies is the only registered company in the LiFi sector in Asia. Elaborating on the motive behind the project, CTO of Nav Wireless Technologies Hardik Soni said, “We had approached the institute authorities for this project and they were highly impressed with such an innovative idea to provide faster, safer, and cheaper internet.”

Under the leadership of SECMOL founder and president Sonam Wangchuk, the company will team up for covering the entire Ladakh and connect the unconnected areas using LiFi technology, he said.

“I am happy to see the set up for permanent internet connectivity using the innovative LiFi technology at our campus. This Li-Fi technology can bring revolutionary changes in the education sector,” Wangchuk said.

He said it would enable the students to stream educational videos and download resources with flawless connectivity.


The US army outfit troops with LiFi.

In a multimillion dollar deal, the US military approaches pureLiFi for data communications that it regards as more secure than Wi-Fi and cellular on bases and out in the field.

The US Army has struck another deal with Scotland’s pureLiFi to outfit troops with Li-Fi, the light-based data communications technology that the Army says is harder for the enemy to hack than is radio-based Wi-Fi or cellular, and which could thus make for safer Army bases and field use.

The “multimillion dollar” supply agreement is similar to the $4.2 million accord struck in April between the two outfits. In both instances, Edinburgh-based pureLiFi is providing the US Army Europe and Africa with military-grade luminaires, known as access points, that modulate lightwaves in a manner that transmits data.

pureLiFi brands the luminaires as Kitefin. Most of the details with the Army remain under wraps, although pureLiFi confirmed that the Army is procuring two versions of Kitefin, one for use in offices such as on a base, and another designed for rapid setup and takedown in the field, such as when troops might be moving around on tactical missions.

Li-Fi luminaires typically provide illumination while also transmitting data such as the Internet or private network access. As transmitters, they can communicate with devices such as tablets and laptops that are in their line of sight, and that are equipped with receivers that are either embedded or attached via USB dongles.

Very few laptop and device makers have yet embedded Li-Fi, which is one reason why the technology in general is enduring a prolonged commercial infancy.

The Army, however, has come back for more Li-Fi, and it values the technology for the security it provides. Compared to Wi-Fi and cellular, Li-Fi is more difficult to hack because it requires a direct line of sight with the luminaires.

The Army’s CW5 Foreman alluded to Li-Fi’s “low probability of detection, jamming, and intrusion,” in describing it as “an extremely survivable form of communications when in direct conflict with a near-peer adversary.”

Security is a benefit that convinced at least one other user, from a different walk of life — a conference business in Holland — to deploy Li-Fi, in that case from pureLiFi rival Signify.

Li-Fi’s proponents laud it for other benefits as well. The Army’s Foreman noted that it also helps to relieve the overcrowding in the radio spectrum that can cause radio-based services to slow down and become unreliable.

Li-Fi today generally uses LEDs as its light source, although its future could be in lasers. pureLiFi declined to say what light source is in the Kitefin system it is providing the Army.


Trulifi by Signify provides Belgian schools with fast, secure and reliable Internet connectivity.

LiFi technology helps Belgian schools to accelerate the digitalization in education. By providing students and staff with fast and reliable access to the latest online tools in a highly secure way.

Signify, the world leader in lighting, is introducing Trulifi by Signify at schools in Belgium to help them accelerate their digital transformation. Trulifi by Signify, which ensures high-speed connectivity through light waves (LiFi) instead of radio waves (WiFi), provides students and teachers fast, secure and reliable access to a broad range of online learning tools, content and other online possibilities.

So far, already four schools in Belgium (three in Wallonia and one in Brussels) have installed Trulifi by Signify, following successful installations in schools in Italy, Germany, the US and the Netherlands. As connectivity is becoming more and more important in education, whether it concerns the use of laptops or tablets, Signify in the past years saw a growing demand for its LiFi systems from schools all over the world. This has helped to accumulate knowledge and experience crucial to taking the nextsteps in implementing this new technology. And now, Trulifi by Signify will support Belgian schools as they take the next step in digitalization.

The Trulifi 6002 system provides the schools with a consistent 220 Mbps download and 160 Mbps data transfer, which is more than sufficient to support the data needs of all students in a classroom. The USB access key – that receives data and sends data back to a transceiver – can be connected to laptop/notebook devices with many different operating systems and is now expanded to tablets as well.

So far, Signify already installed LiFi systems at schools in Brussels, Flobecq and Wanze, and plans to install LiFi systems at a school in Aubange, supporting the government in its ambition to accelerate the digitalization in education.

“In 2019, we installed our first LiFi pilot in a school in Bas-Oha. Now we are thinking about the complete deployment in a classroom to provide the students with all the advantages of this technology,” says Christophe Lacroix, Mayor of Wanze.

“We are especially grateful and proud to be able to test the use of this new technology Trulifi by Signify at our school. Using digital technology today is an integral part of learning tools, but the data security of devices is often questioned,” explains Damien Rubay, School Director at Flobecq.

LiFi is a technology based on line of sight, making it impossible to eavesdrop or hack into the LiFi network from another room or from outside the building, or hinder the wireless communication.

“With LiFi we can provide people with fast, secure and reliable connectivity,” says Olivia Qiu, Chief Innovation Officer at Signify. “This is relevant to any educational facility that seeks to take the next step in digitalization, but just as much for other organizations having the same connectivity needs, including offices, hospitality, industry, transportation.”

Contributing to improvements in education through our LiFi systems is at the core of our commitment to doubling the percentage of our revenues for brighter lives, which benefit society, to 32%. This is part of our Brighter Lives, Better World 2025 program, which was launched in September 2020.

For all these projects, Signify is partnering with LiFi Solutions, a Belgian start-up, active in Belgium and Luxembourg to accelerate awareness about LiFi and to help schools to realize their digital ambitions.

Curious how Trulifi by Signify can benefit your organization? Visit their website.


NavTech deploy LiFi Patient Monitoring Solutions in Hospitals.

Three government-run hospitals in Gujarat have adopted the latest LiFi (Light Fidelity) technology to treat COVID-19 patients and the results have been very impressive.

Ahmedabad based LiFi technology inventor, Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt Ltd has set up LiFi based communication facilities at Civil Hospital (Ahmedabad), Surat Municipal Institute of Medical Education & Research (SMIMER) (Surat) and Gujarat Medical Education & Research Society (GMERS) Hospital, (Vadodara).

Buoyed by the tremendous positive response from the hospital management, medical staff, and patients, the company is exploring more tie-ups other government and private hospitals in Gujarat and neighbouring states like Maharastra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

The company has come forward to provide speedy, accurate, and safer light-based communication for patients and all the medical professionals in this difficult time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights:

* Ahmedabad based Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt Ltd is the only company in Asia to receive and execute commercial projects in LiFi sector for the healthcare sector

* Nav Wireless Technologies has set up LiFi based Made in India units at three government hospitals in Gujarat; exploring more tie-ups with other government and private hospitals within a state and neighbouring states like Maharastra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan

* With LiFi technology-based solutions, Doctors and Hospital staff are minimized to the risk of spreading coronavirus infection & at the same time provide a live health data monitoring system

* Patients and medical staff in isolation wards are benefited with a radiation-free communication network

“Considering the rising cases of COVID-19, the hospitals need faster and safer communications to speed up the patients’ treatment and that’s why the isolation wards at three government hospitals in Gujarat have been equipped with the latest LiFi technology. We have set up LiFi based units there which are completely Made in India. LiFi based Centralised Patient Monitoring System without the Internet at COVID-19 wards is helpful to safeguard doctors & the paramedical team at the hospital. We are in talks with other hospitals for installation of such systems to further speed up the treatment of COVID-19 patients,” said Hardik Soni Co-Founder & CTO, Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt Ltd.

“LiFi is a mobile wireless technology that uses light rather than radio frequencies to transmit data. In India, Nav Wireless is the only registered player working on LiFi technology. Also, we are the only company in Asia in the LiFi sector to receive and execute commercial LiFi projects for the healthcare sector. We have successfully installed such a LiFi technology-based communication facility for various government institutions and private premises,” said Pratik Parikh, Head-Global Business Development, Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt Ltd elaborating details.

“In critical care, monitoring is essential to the daily care of ICU patients, as the optimization of a patient’s hemodynamic, ventilation, temperature, nutrition, and metabolism is the key to improve patients’ survival. With this, all the patients and medical staff at isolation wards are able to use a radiation-free communication network without the internet data, connected to hospital instruments such as ventilators, multipara monitors and desktop pulse oxymeter, etc. Furthermore, patients can access video calling facility with the doctors without an internet facility. With LiFi technology-based solutions, Doctors and Hospital Staff are minimized to the risk of spreading coronavirus infection & at the same time provide a live health data monitoring system,” said Vardhan Suthar, Head-Network Architect, Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt Ltd, sharing the technical aspects of the technology.

“GMERS has adopted LiFi technology advantages to protect and live tracking of patients’ data for the best treatment. Constant monitoring of the patient’s health condition in hospital is either manual or wireless fidelity (WiFi)-based system. The WiFi-based system becomes slow in speed due to exponentially increased scalability. In this scenario, light fidelity (LiFi) finds the places wherever WiFi is applicable to additional features of a high-speed data network. Apart from the speed factor, LiFi is a more suitable in-hospital application for monitoring the patient’s conditions without frequency interference with the human body,” said Dr Vijay Shah, Executive Member of GMERS Hospital, Vadodara.

“NavTech LiFi Transceiver’s network in the hospital for monitoring the patient’s conditions such as temperature, pressure, heartbeat, glucose level, and respiratory conditions using respective sensors integrated with our LiFi Transceivers. NavTech LiFi Transceiver developed to increase data security, high capacity, and high speed, eco friendly, and with the patient safety,” said Hardik Raval, Sr Hardware Engineer of the company.


Getac first to bring LiFi to mobile computing market.

Getac is now working closely with selected strategic customers to commercialise new solution based on specific industry applications and requirements.

Getac, a leader in rugged computing solutions, has announced that it is bringing integrated LiFi technology powered by pureLiFi to the rugged market for the first time. The announcement means customers across a wide range of professional sectors will soon be able to enjoy the benefits of fully rugged reliability and innovative LiFi connectivity in a single device, unlocking a host of powerful new applications and use cases.

Previously, users wishing to capitalise on the benefits of LiFi technology had to rely on a USB dongle plugged into the side of their device. This approach is highly vulnerable to even the slightest knock or drop, making it unviable in many working environments, such as those found in the defence, public safety, automotive, energy and manufacturing sectors. With this announcement, users across these sectors will be able to purchase a fully rugged solution with LiFi technology fully integrated into the device. The first Getac device to offer integrated LiFi capability will be the recently launched UX10 fully rugged tablet.

Unlocking powerful new applications across a range of sectors

The combination of rugged reliability and LiFi connectivity unlocks a series of powerful new applications across a range of sectors. These include:

Defence: Inherently secure, fully rugged communications solutions that can be rapidly deployed in the field, thanks to minimal cabling requirements.

Public safety: Lightning fast on-scene data collection and transmission in emergency response scenarios, aided by high quality, low latency LiFi connectivity.

Automotive: Fast, uninterrupteddata downloads for upgrading vehicle firmware in highly physical factory or workshop environments.

Manufacturing and energy: LiFi can help turn old infrastructure into IoT (Internet of Things), aiding digital transformation in areas where there are concerns over RF-based equipment interfering with safety-critical operations.

“At Getac, we work with a huge range of customers across multiple sectors, many of whom have very specific technology requirements and challenges,” says Rick Hwang President of Rugged & Video Solutions Business Group at Getac. “Today’s announcement once again demonstrates our commitment to solving these challenges by combining powerful new technologies such as LiFi with our proven rugged devices, to create industry leading solutions that excel in even the most adverse operational environments.”


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