Find WiFi a bit slow in Dubai? 100 times faster LiFi is here

UAE-based telecommunications service provider, du, and UAE-born brand Zero1 say they have successfully demonstrated the capability of Light Fidelity (LiFi) technology in Dubai – the latest technology in data communication.

LiFi is a wireless optical networking technology that uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for data transmission instead of radio waves, reportedly giving it the data transmitting potential of up to 224GB per second.

According to research from Mordor Intelligence, LiFi is 100 times faster than WiFi technology as well as being significantly cheaper.

In addition, LiFi complements WiFi technology, by minimising the risk of loss of data in a high density area in a confined region. In doing so, it will be adding significant value to du’s wireless broadband portfolio capabilities in both indoor and outdoor data transmissions, the telco said in a media statement.

The Dubai based operator maintains the integration of LiFi enables it to provide solutions for its business customer across municipal, commercial and industrial environments.

du says it has demonstrated three use cases over LiFi technology including internet over LiFi, video and audio streaming over LiFi.

“With the Global LiFi market expected to reach $80 billion by 2021, we expect to see demand for this technology increasing exponentially over the coming years,” said Saleem AlBlooshi, Executive Vice President of Network Development and Operations at du.

“We wanted to ensure our customers were aware of this technology and the demonstration of LiFi technology complements our broadband portfolio for the business segment. We are currently working with major businesses to create tailor-made LiFi solutions and to test and validate the applications,” he said.
Du said LiFi technology is particularly suitable for environments where safety and data security are paramount, such as hospitals, company headquarters, transport, and security agencies.

LiFi uses Visible Light Spectrum (VLS) which has a huge data capacity (about 390 Tera Hertz (THz) of bandwidth available), and is unimpeded by radio interference and generates no electromagnetic smog.

This makes it a better option for intrinsically hazardous environments such as refineries, oil platforms or petrol stations.

du revealed that, along with Zero1, the two are developing a number of LiFi-enabled solutions which provide a variety of analytics, communication and management systems, and customer engagement solutions.

The outdoor deployment of LiFi enables motion detection, geo-localisation and camera networks through street lights while the indoor deployment supports retail, healthcare, education, and cultural centers.

Source: Emirates 24|7

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