– ‘Still laboratory technology’ –
Analysts said it was still hard to say if Li-Fi will become the new Wi-Fi.
“It is still a laboratory technology,” said Frederic Sarrat, an analyst and consultancy firm PwC.
Much will depend on how Wi-Fi evolves in the coming years, said Gartner chief analyst Jim Tully.
“Wi-Fi has shown a capability to continuously increase its communication speed with each successive generation of the technology,” he told AFP.
Li-Fi has its drawbacks – it only works if a Smartphone or other device is placed directly in the light and it cannot travel through walls.
This restricts its use to smaller spaces, but Tully said this could limit the risk of data theft.
“Unlike Wi-Fi, Li-Fi can potentially be directed and beamed at a particular user in order to enhance the privacy of transmissions,” he said.
Backers of Li-Fi say it would also be ideal in places where Wi-Fi is restricted to some areas such as schools and hospitals.
“Li-Fi has a place in hospitals because it does not create interference with medical materials,” said Joel Denimal, head of French lighting manufacturer Coolight.
In supermarkets it could be used to give information about a product, or in museums about a painting, by using lamps placed nearby.
It could also be useful on aircraft, in underground garages and any place where lack of Internet connection is an issue.
But Li-Fi also requires that devices be equipped with additional technology such as a card reader, or dongle, to function. This gives it a “cost disadvantage”, said Tully.
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