French startup introduces new wireless technology to Jordan

AMMAN — A thrilling technical presentation of LiFi, the latest trend in wireless communication technology, last Wednesday took place in Amman, by the representatives of French leading startup Oledcomm, one of the four European companies working in the avant-garde, promising field.

The LiFi acronym stands for "Light Fidelity", as compared to WiFi, which stands for "Wireless Fidelity". Whereas data travels over radio waves in WiFi, it is carried over light waves in LiFi; these are still electromagnetic waves, but not in the radio frequencies range, according to web sources.

Oledcomm engineer Bastien Bechadergue spoke about the new technology, explaining its main characteristics and advantages, before carrying out a live demonstration by placing a laptop computer under a LiFi enabled desk lamp, and running a Youtube video through this connection. One of the main benefits of LiFi is safety, he stressed, precisely because it does not use radio waves. In addition to increased safety, LiFi also brings with speed, stability and extremely low latency (the network’s reaction time to a signal) given that "the lower, the better".

Therefore, LiFi does not create interferences and is not affected by any. Whereas the international community is still unsure about the hazards of radio waves and WiFi, LiFi on the other hand is absolutely safe, Bechadergue underlined, adding that it is also more secure when it comes to preserving and protecting data, a matter that has now become the major concern of all those working in the IT field and those using technology.

LiFi will prove to be an ideal solution in places where WiFi’s less than perfect security and the radio interferences it may generate are not welcome, which includes, for example, aboard airplanes.

“LiFi is meant to help desaturate the radio waves, not to replace WiFi," said Ingrid Canal, Oledcomm’s marketing director, who also explained the technology behind GeoLiFi, a specific aspect of LiFi. She mentioned that the city of Palaiseau in France has implemented LiFi in a pioneering project, and that Paris’ underground authority is planning to do the same very soon. 

Lifi large scale implementation is still at its beginning and is expected to become a widely used technology by the year 2020. 

The high-tech presentation was organised by Oledcomm’s partner in Jordan, Intrah, with the attendance of several Jordanian IT specialists, representatives from Orange and Zain, officers from the Public Security Department, and members of the local media, among others.