Oledcomm, Air France, Latécoère and Ubisoft unveil their Li-Fi project

According to a report carried by Inmarsat, 67% of passengers would be more likely to rebook with an airline if in-flight internet connectivity were available. 70% of passengers would be likely to recommend in-flight connectivity having tried it previously. 66% believe in-flight connectivity is necessary. 65% of passengers that have had access to in-flight internet connectivity in the last year used it and 54% of passengers agreed that if only poor-quality Wi-Fi was on offer, they would prefer not to have it at all.

As part of the International Air and Space Show (Salon du Bourget), which opens its doors on June 17, 2019, Air France, Latécoère and Ubisoft will test Li-Fi (Light Fidelity), a new wireless communication technology via light waves that aims to become the next standard after Wi-Fi. For the duration of the show, Latécoère will present on its booth (Hall 2a - B254) a full-size Air France medium-haul reproduction, incorporating Li-Fi technology; visitors will have the opportunity to test live " the speed and reliability of this innovative technology", according to their joint communique. The French equipment manufacturer has designed an infrastructure solution that allows entertainment and communication system providers to optimise connectivity in-flight, and has many advantages including a multimedia data exchange at very high speed (current speed 100 times higher WiFi), and a reduction in the number of cables on board (elimination of copper cables in favour of optics) which leads to a reduction in the overall weight of the aircraft and therefore in its fuel consumption.

If this solution was able to be previewed in an Air France cabin,"it is thanks to the pioneering spirit" of Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance, a major international player in aeronautical maintenance. The Li-Fi was spotted early by its cabin modification experts, who began to think about how to implement this innovative technology on board a device. Latécoère, having also perceived the high potential of Li-Fi, the partnership with Air France is born naturally from a common desire to explore new technological territories. The equipment manufacturer developed the system, AFI KLM E & M realised the certification of the solution and its integration in the cabin. This union of know-how today leads to an unprecedented advance in the world of aeronautics.

In order to demonstrate the potential of Li-Fi technology, Ubisoft will kick off an exceptional tournament in its all-public Trackmania Stadium video game on Monday, June 17 at 10:00 am at the Latécoère stand. During the "Air France Trackmania Cup", the visitors of the Paris Air Show will be able to discover the game by fighting friendly from the tablets installed in the reproduction of a medium-haul cabin of Air France. The official tournament will take place from Saturday, July 6 at 20:00 and will end with the finals in September 2019, during an exceptional commercial flight Air France in a device specially provided for the occasion of 12 seats equipped with LiFi technology from Latécoère. Competitors will occasionally discover circuits specially created for the event and featuring key elements of the Air France and Latécoère universe. Players will be able to register online at www.airfrance-tmcup.com as soon as the tournament opens; the prizes as well as the modalities of the tournament will be communicated soon.

Yannick Aswad, CEO of Latécoère said: "The development of Li-Fi technology on airplanes, for which Latécoère is in pole position, redefines the conditions under which passengers and cabin crew will receive and exchange of flight data to horizon 5 years . We are proud to be at the forefront of this innovation and our mastery of this technology underlines the strong R & T efforts of our Group over the past three years . "

Antoine Laborde, Air France Innovation Manager, added: " We are very pleased to have the opportunity to experience the Li-Fi on one of our aircraft, and to organise an on-board video games tournament, two major" world premieres ". In-Flight Entertainment is at the heart of the experience aboard Air France, and it is therefore natural that Air France invests in innovative solutions that will allow our customers to experience new experiences in a few years " .

Deborah Papiernik, Director of Innovative Projects at Ubisoft, concludes: " We are proud to participate in Le Bourget alongside two iconic groups in French aeronautics. This unique partnership is an opportunity to propel Ubisoft into this new territory , 30,000 feet from our usual playground. In-Flight Entertainment will logically take its place in the years to come and Ubisoft is at the forefront of this evolution . "

Air France-KLM is the first Air Group in terms of international traffic from Europe. It offers its customers a network covering 312 destinations in 116 countries in 2019 thanks to Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Transavia. With a fleet of 550 aircraft and 101.4 million passengers carried in 2018, Air France-KLM operates up to 2,300 flights per day, mainly from its hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol airports. Its loyalty program Flying Blue is among the leaders in Europe and has more than 15 million members. Air France-KLM operates with its partners Delta Air Lines and Alitalia the largest transatlantic joint venture with more than 275 daily flights; the SkyTeam Alliance Member Group also offers cargo transportation and aeronautical maintenance solutions.

A global "tier 1" partner of the world's leading aircraft manufacturers (Airbus, Embraer, Dassault, Boeing, Bombardier), Latécoère operates in all segments of the aerospace industry (commercial, regional, business and military aircraft) in two areas activities: aerostructures (58% of turnover, fuselage sections and doors), interconnection systems (42% of sales, wiring, electrical furniture and on-board equipment). At December 31, 2018, the Group employed over 4,900 people in 13 different countries.

Ubisoft is a world leader in the creation, publishing and distribution of video games and interactive services. The group has a portfolio of international brands such as Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Just Dance, Watch_Dogs and the Tom Clancy video game series including Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six and The Division. Ubisoft teams, through their worldwide network of studios and distribution subsidiaries, are committed to providing players with original and unforgettable gaming experiences on all popular platforms, including consoles, mobiles, tablets and PCs. . For the 2017-18 financial year, Ubisoft's turnover amounted to £1,5 billion.

At the second annual Global LiFi Congress, the international event dedicated to Li-Fi, Visible Light Communication held in Paris from 12th June to 13th june 2019, Oledcomm, Latécoère Group, Université Paul Sabatier, and DGAC, unveiled a Li-Fi product designed for aircraft cruising at 30,000 feet.

Oledcomm chairman Benjamin Azoulay stated that: “LiFi is ideal for the aerospace industry and it enables us to show we are no longer at the research stage but are already creating high added value business applications.”