Light Communications Alliance Formed by Global Industry Leaders
June 28, 2019
Global leaders in the communications, lighting, infrastructure and device manufacturing industries have formed the Light Communications Alliance (LCA) to promote new wireless technologies enabling light communications (LC). They will establish and advocate the use of standards for this emerging industry.
Light communications technologies complement and enhance 5G wireless communications and other radio frequency technologies such as Wi-Fi. By utilizing its greater available spectrum, light can be used to deliver larger amounts of data at faster speeds and with greater security.
Light communication technologies include Light Fidelity (LiFi) and Optical Camera Communications (OCC) both of which have been attracting increased attention over recent years within several industries, such as smart cities and homes, industry 4.0 and manufacturing environments, as well as retail and tourism. Global Market Insights predicts that the LiFi market will be worth $75 billion by 2025, creating broad, far-reaching opportunities for the related industries to benefit from visible light communications.
The LCA is an open, non-profit association of members who aim to promote light communications technology with a consistent, focused and concise approach. The LCA will highlight the benefits, use cases and timelines for light communications adoption. The organization will align innovative leaders across the industries that light and communications touches, defining standards for education, communication, and interoperability.
The founding members are LEDVANCE, pureLiFi, LiFi Research & Development Centre, Nokia, Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company, Liberty Global, Lucibel, Orange, Velmenni, Zero.1, CEA Leti, and Institut Mines-Télécom.
LiFi offers a fully networked, bi-directional mobile communication solution using light, which has the potential to deliver massive bandwidth and higher speeds for short-range wireless communications. It can be integrated easily alongside traditional wireless technology such as Wi-Fi and can enhance these networks with greater speeds and security. LiFi can be deployed in various environments, both professional and domestic, including smart offices, smart transport, industry 4.0 and in the smart gigabit connected home of the future.
Optical Camera Communications (OCC), has the potential to create value-added services by using the light for both broadcast communications and indoor positioning in environments such as office buildings, convention centres, and parking lots.
LC technologies can offer thousands of additional channels for secure high-speed communications. LC provides faster more reliable connections, as well as greater security because light can be contained, for example inside buildings.
The LCA is open to membership from all industries spanning both light and communications including chip manufacturers, OEMs, network operators, lighting manufacturers, and light communications innovators.
