New technology demoed by Oledcomm has shown that online connectivity is about to get much faster.
Li-Fi, which stands for “light fidelity” is a new type of wireless internet connection technology that has now been demonstrated at the Mobile World Congress, showing that speeds can be far faster than they currently are over Wi-Fi.
The idea is that something as simple as a lamp will be able to boost smartphone web connection speeds 100 times over.
Li-Fi will make it possible to move beyond the limitations of Wi-Fi, which relies on transmitting data via radio waves. Instead, this new technology will have the potential to be 100 times faster than the conventional wireless connection tech. The demonstration of the technology was conducted by Oledcomm, which is a start-up from France in attendance at the Mobile World Congress, which was held in Barcelona. In the demonstration, a smartphone was placed under a regular office lamp. The light connected it to the internet and it started playing a video.
Speed is one of the most appealing features that was demonstrated in the Li-Fi form of connectivity.
Lab tests have also revealed that, in theory, this type of light based wireless internet connection could potentially reach speeds higher than 200 Gbps. That would be fast enough to be able to “download the equivalent of 23 DVDs in one second,” according to Suat Topsu, the head and founder of Oledcomm.
Topsu went on to add that “Li-Fi allows speeds that are 100 times faster than Wi-Fi.” The tech is based on LED bulb frequencies. Since these lights imperceptibly flicker off and on – thousands of times per second – the scientists found a way to use that frequency to be able to wirelessly transmit information. It is because of the flickering nature of the data transmission that it has been nicknamed the “digital equivalent of Morse Code.”
Tests have already been underway in several locations, having started in 2015. The Li-Fi has been applied to everyday settings in France, including in certain shopping malls and museums. There have also been tests running in India as well as Estonia.
