5G RuralFirst project delivers successful trials of Li-Fi in the Orkney Islands
According to a, We Are Social report in 2019, the number of internet users worldwide was approximately 4.3 billion, up from 3.9 billion in 2018. This means about 57 per cent of the global population accessed the internet, and internet penetration is 57%.
Worldwide Internet users from the Digital In 2019 report by We Are Social
5G RuralFirst
5G RuralFirst has successfully trialled Li-Fi technology in the Orkney Islands. 5G RuralFirst is a co-innovation project headed by Cisco in conjunction with principal partner university of Strathclyde and other partners from across the business sector, government sector and academia sector. The first stage of the project is the creation of rural test-beds and trials for 5G wireless and mobile connectivity across the three main sites in the Orkney islands, Somerset and Shropshire.
The project is part-funded by the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of their 5G Testbed and Trial programme and UK-wide 5G strategy. The mission of 5G RuralFirst is to excite government, policymakers, regulators mobile network operators, and other service providers about the partnership potential of 5G in rural areas and help share new market, technology and application opportunities.
Worldwide average internet connection speeds from the Digital In 2019 report by We Are Social
In 2017, Orkney was found to have the worst broadband internet speeds across the UK’s 390 council areas, according to a study published by consumer protection watchdog Which.
The research, using data from Speed Checker Ltd from January to March 2017, showed Orkney had an average test speed of just 6.3 Mbps, with Shetland on just 8.4 Mbps.
The speeds both fall far below 10 Mbps, which is the minimum download speed proposed under the Government’s Universal Service Obligation (USO) that anyone in the UK would be entitled to request.
In response, Orkney MSP Liam McArthur has called for a renewed commitment to delivering superfast broadband in the county.
Commenting on the figures, Orkney MSP Liam McArthur stated: “While I recognise progress has been made, these figures reaffirm our fears that the gap in broadband speeds between Orkney and the rest of the UK is growing. This digital divide will only make it harder for Orkney to compete and leaves people with an unacceptable below par service.
“I firmly believe that closing those gaps must be our priority. This may require different technology solutions, but it will also certainly require both the Scottish and UK Government and their agencies to work together.”
Average fixed Internet connection speeds from the Digital In 2019 report by We Are Social
Professor Harald Haas, co-founder and Chief Science Officer of pureLiFi, said: “Graemsay is in a complex position in terms of upgrading connectivity in the area, with just a copper landline to connect its residents and businesses. Li-Fi allows the area to utilise the light spectrum in two important domains: affordable last-mile connectivity, and high-speed indoor wireless networking.
“Both are essential to overcome the rural divide which increasingly disadvantages rural communities. Graemsay is the first location, which harnesses ordinary solar panels as outdoor broadband detectors and ordinary LED lamps in homes as wireless access points and can now take advantage of advanced connectivity like never before,” said Haas.
“Li-Fi is a particularly sustainable solution to provide wireless connectivity and can be managed by residents themselves and combined with existing networks,” said Dez O’Connor, 5G RuralFirst project chief technology officer and Cisco business development manager for global service providers.
“As well as demonstrating the potential of advanced 5G technology to bridge the digital divide and better connect rural areas, 5G RuralFirst is trialling different technologies such as Li-Fi to solve the challenges posed by remote environments.”
What is Li-Fi?
Li-Fi is a high speed, bidirectional, and fully networked wireless communication of data using light. Li-Fi is made of several light bulbs that form a wireless network. Li-Fi is a disruptive technology in the making, which will impact many industries. It can unlock the Internet of Things, drive Industry 4.0 applications, light as a service (LaaS) in the lighting industry, enable new intelligent transport systems, enhance road safety when there are more and more driverless cars, create new cyber secure wireless networks, enable new ways of health monitoring of ageing societies, offer new solutions to close the digital divide, and enable very high-speed wireless connectivity in future data centres. Watch the video below to see how Li-Fi works.
Li-Fi Applications
1. Li-Fi and Live Streaming
Because of the rapid rates Li-Fi can reach, it can be made available in big shopping malls, sports stadium, street lights, aeroplanes, trains including underground, train stations, airports. This allows any user to consume rich content media like videos as well as live streaming from their smartphones or other mobile devices nearly anywhere they are like in stadiums, trains and planes provided they are exposed to Li-Fi enabled LEDs.
2. Li-Fi technology in Hospitals
As Li-Fi does not interfere with radio frequency devices, Li-Fi can be safely used in many hospital applications. For example, in corridors, waiting rooms, patient rooms and operating theatres, Li-Fi technology will allow a light communication network, which will remove electromagnetic interference issues from smartphones and the use of Wi-Fi in hospitals. Li-Fi can also be used for real-time monitoring and report of patient movement and vital signs without the need for wires.
3. Li-Fi in the Workplace
Li-Fi will not offer illumination but secure wireless connectivity in workspaces. As well as the networking capability, people will be able to take a Skype video conference call and move from one room to another without that conference call being interrupted. Workers and visitors will have a constant internet speed connection from the Li-Fi networks in the workspace. Using light, network access can also be controlled more effectively. For example, the overhead lighting in an office can provide access to the guest network, while desk lamps can provide access to specific parts of a corporate network with access rights assigned on a desk-by-desk basis.
4. Li-Fi in Schools
The right wireless network is a crucial component to provide new learning experiences by connecting students and teachers to smart technology, enabling learning applications on any mobile device. Li-Fi can also provide seamless network connectivity and security throughout the whole school, from the classroom all the way through to university dorms. Some schools have even started trialling Li-Fi technology in classrooms.
5. Li-Fi in Retail
Li-Fi can help directing shoppers from the time they enter the shop. It can also help them to locate specific products in the store, collect digital coupons, check store promotions, check stock availability of some products on the shelves, engage in online store services through their smart devices and improve their store experience.
You can also read an article of Li-Fi applications here.
Feedspot
Feedspot is a social feed reader compiling news feeds from online sources that user can customise and share with other social network users. Feedspot recently nominated Li Fi Tech News as among the Top 5 Li-Fi blogs on the web. The selection of the brands was ranked based on the following:
Google reputation and Google search ranking
Influence and popularity on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites
Quality and consistency of posts
Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review
You can read more on the Top 5 Li-Fi blog article here:
https://blog.feedspot.com/li_fi_blogs/
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