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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 of 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, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”