Dawn of a ‘LiFi’ era

Sunaina Rana / Emirates Business

Speed is the key in data transfer. Exploring this aspect, UAE-based tech company Zero1 has adopted ‘LiFi’ — a technology that enables transmitting high-speed data using light — in its services.
Light Fidelity (LiFi), which uses visible light communication (VLC) rather than radio bands, is poised to become US$113bn industry by 2022, according to a recent article posted in Tweet Tech. It promises to change the way we work, play and manage our daily lives. The technology also claims to bring Dubai’s ambition to become a ‘smart city’ to life.
Marc Fleschen, CEO of Zero1, told Emirates Business, “Light Fidelity (LiFi) is a wireless optical networking technology that uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for data transmission providing for broadcasting information, geolocalisation, geo-marketing, bi-directional communication, networked and high-speed data communication. Installed in LED light bulbs, the LiFi chip modulates light (imperceptibly) for optical data transmission, in a similar way to WiFi, but with many superior characteristics.”
“We are proud to say that in conjunction with our project partner du, we have been able to initiate the first demonstration of its kind in the Middle East. We are looking forward to the roll-out of our LiFi applications in the Dubai ‘Smart City’ platform and the retail sector as the year unfolds,” he added.
LiFi will provide endless possibilities for the Internet of Things (IoT), the connection between people and things. Zero1 is at the very heart of this technology.
Fleschen talked about the significance of LiFi in the smart cities. “LiFi will play a vital role in bringing Dubai’s ‘Smart City’ vision to life. Zero1 has captured this technology to provide experiential and management solutions for public, community, industrial, commercial, leisure and home environments. We aim to ensure that LiFi technology will be an enabler for the Smart City vision. It will be in the Municipal sector that we will first see LiFi in action in the City, and this is where the people will first experience LiFi and its many benefits,” he said.
Speaking about the advancements made in the field, he said, “We have developed a technologically advanced solution, which adds a third layer of communication using a traditional LED streetlight. This Intelligent Outdoor Tower Automation (IOTA) together with our City1 Software provides a communication platform for SMS, VOIP and Internet, and connects people to places through motion detection and geo-localisation. We can add cameras for safety, security, and transport control and can even monitor pollution levels and provide data storage solutions. There are many ways LiFi can support turning the Smart City vision into reality.”
Comparing WiFi to LiFi, Fleschen said, “80 percent to 90 percent of our data consumption comes from download and not upload. Today, you can receive data in a download from LiFi and upload smaller data requests through WiFi. However, this combination gives a faster connectivity.”
The LiFi technology has its projects in the UK, France, USA, Korea, China, and Germany. Some of the properties that have implemented (or are working on the project) LiFi includes – Museum in Liege, Belgium, in a Hypermarket in Lille, France, and JML office in Dubai.