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An ultra-fast alternative to WiFi called “LiFi” has progressed from the laboratory into real-world trials. Estonian startup Velmenni has begun offering LiFi in a commercial setting, demonstrating the technology’s readiness for practical deployment.
Velmenni, a recent finalist in the Slush 100 startup competition in Helsinki, is using LiFi to transmit data at speeds up to 1 Gbps—more than a hundred times faster than many current WiFi standards. In practical terms, that kind of bandwidth could allow users to download a high-definition movie in just a few seconds.
While global internet infrastructure has not yet widely reached gigabit speeds—Helsinki’s average download speed, for example, is around 29.7 Mbps—some providers are beginning to roll out ultra-fast services. Commercial gigabit and multi-gigabit offerings are appearing in select markets, indicating that demand and supporting infrastructure are gradually expanding.
One of LiFi’s strongest advantages is enhanced privacy and security. LiFi uses visible light communication (VLC) to transmit data; because visible light cannot pass through walls, signals are less vulnerable to interception and experience far less interference from neighboring devices. This containment makes LiFi an attractive option for sensitive settings or densely populated environments where radio-frequency congestion is a problem.
LiFi research traces back to Professor Harald Haas from the University of Edinburgh, and in controlled laboratory conditions researchers have demonstrated astonishing speeds—up to 224 Gbps. Those experimental results highlight LiFi’s theoretical potential, even as real-world deployments progress at more conservative rates.
“We are doing a few pilot projects within different industries where we can utilise the VLC (visible light communication) technology,” said Deepak Solanki, CEO of Velmenni. “Currently we have designed a smart lighting solution for an industrial environment where the data communication is done through light. We are also doing a pilot project with a private client where we are setting up a LiFi network to access the internet in their office space.”
By integrating data transmission into ordinary light bulbs, LiFi can deliver high-speed internet access and support Internet of Things (IoT) deployments without relying on radio-frequency spectrum. The light fixtures become dual-purpose: providing illumination and serving as wireless access points. For offices, factories, hospitals, and homes, this approach offers a new connectivity layer that complements existing wired and wireless networks.
The primary challenge for companies like Velmenni is retrofitting existing devices and environments to support LiFi without rebuilding entire networks. Practical adoption will depend on affordable modules, standard interfaces, and simple ways to add LiFi capability to current lighting systems and endpoint devices.
“All we need to do is fit a small microchip to every potential illumination device and this would then combine two basic functionalities: illumination and wireless data transmission,” Professor Haas has noted. “In the future we will not only have 14 billion light bulbs, we may have 14 billion LiFis deployed worldwide for a cleaner, greener and even brighter future.”
As pilots expand and ecosystem partners develop compatible hardware and software, LiFi could become an important complement to radio-based wireless technologies—offering secure, high-throughput links for specific environments and use cases.
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