05 December 2022

Signify has recently completed a game-changing project delivering wireless connectivity via LiFi to a city in Finland. LiFi utilises light – visible, UV and IR - to transmit data between devices, with the transmission enabled by the modulation of light intensity; in contrast, WiFi uses radio frequency to induce a voltage in an antenna to transmit data.

Signify has installed its BrightSites solution delivering fast, reliable connectivity to every street corner in Tampere utilising the city’s network of streetlights. The solution removes the need to dig and lay fibre connections, while needing only a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods to get up and running. LiFi is expected to accelerate the deployment of current and future broadband loT applications such as 5G, WiFi and smart city services.

“Tampere’s ambition is to create the most sustainable society using the power of digitalization and technology,” said Teppo Rantanen, executive director, Tampere. “It’s a society that lives on real-time, data-driven actionable insights. We have partnered with two industry leading companies, Signify and Edzcom, to create the foundation of such a society. With their technology and services, Tampere aims to take a leap forward in creating the society we strive for.”

Through Signify’s BrightSites solution, lighting infrastructure becomes a platform for real-time sensors, cameras, and other digital technologies. In the future, this could include technologies that provide situational awareness data for autonomous vehicles and data streams for drones, both of which will require city-wide high speed data connectivity.

The LiFi market is booming, with solutions being rolled out in schools, hospitals, government, enterprise and military applications. The ‘Light Fidelity (LiFi) & Visible Light Communication Market Research’ report estimates the current market value at US$12,330 million in 2022 and expects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.1% for 2022-2028 to reach US$42,910 million.