Orange deploys LiFi in Luxembourg
Luxembourg, October 5th 2021
Orange allows you to discover LiFi in its new Kirchberg shop, an innovative connectivity technology based on the use of light. This is the first time that LiFi technology is being demonstrated in Luxembourg.
On the evening of Monday 4 October 2021, Orange inaugurated its new shop in the Kirchberg Shopping Center in Luxembourg, in the presence of Eric Krier, Advisor to the Media and Communications Department of the Ministry of State. This was a landmark event, as the shop is the first location in the country to be equipped with LiFi and OCC technology and also the first Orange Group shop to feature it.
Cutting-edge technology demonstrated in Luxembourg
The evening was an opportunity for guests to discover this innovative technology.
Mustapha Rahem, Consumer Market & Online Sales Manager - Orange Luxembourg
"Like WiFi, LiFi - for Light Fidelity - is a wireless communication technology. This technology does not rely on radio frequencies, LiFi uses light or infrared to send and receive information."
Several LED lamps, combined with a LiFi or OCC (Optical Camera Communication) modem, can thus transmit data to terminals (smartphones, PCs, connected objects, etc.) and allow browsing on the Internet, or receiving videos, solely thanks to the light stream.
Since the opening of the shop, the technology has been demonstrated to all visitors.
Marc Fleschen, Chairman - LCA
"It is a privilege and an honour to be present at the inauguration of the only shop in the world equipped with LiFi, the result of many years of work and cooperation with the Luxembourg ecosystem."
The Light Communications Alliance (LCA), is an association that aims to establish standards for the use of these new wireless technologies allowing light communications.
LiFi, an emerging technology and source of energy savings
Companion to WiFi, LiFi is suitable for confined and restricted spaces, while WiFi is ideal for more open areas.
Allowing to secure the perimeter of information spreading and giving everyone the possibility to benefit from a 'chosen connection', LiFi offers a high connection speed (up to 150Mb/s downstream and 110 Mb/s upstream for surfaces between 3 and 25m²) and a very low latency (less than 1 millisecond).
Mustapha Rahem, Consumer Market & Online Sales Manager - Orange Luxembourg
"To this date, it is above all the ultra-stability of this wireless connection as well as the absence of interference with radio technologies that appeal to users."
LiFi also has the major advantage of not being energy consuming, as it relies on an existing network - the electrical network - and on LED bulbs which, by definition, are energy efficient.
Orange committed to the development of LiFi
Today, the number of use cases for LiFi is growing: at home or in the office, in transport, in shops, in the aeronautical or military sector, etc. Its possibilities have already been exploited in the field of telecommunications. Its possibilities have already been exploited in certain museums, such as the Cité des télécoms in France, for example, but this is the first time it has been integrated into a shop in Luxembourg.
Barbara Fangille, Head of Communication - Orange Luxembourg
"We are very proud to be able to present this new connectivity technology in Luxembourg."
The Orange Group has been working on LiFi technology for three years, in collaboration with an ecosystem of dynamic players on the subject - start-ups (Oledcomm, Pure LiFi, Zero.1), major groups such as Signify, Nokia, the CEA and other operators - with the ambition of developing innovative services for users.
Already available for professionals since 2018, LiFi also has many applications for the general public. The market is booming and, eventually, our regular equipment should naturally be compatible with this technology. For the time being, however, it is already possible to enjoy the benefits of LiFi using a connection to Fiber or 3G/4G/5G mobile networks. According to Global Market Insights, by 2023, the LiFi market worldwide could be worth $75 billion.