The Business of LiFi

Signify Joins HomeGrid Forum to Transform Wireless Communications through LiFi

July 28 [addtoany]

Beaverton, US, 27 July 2021: HomeGrid Forum has today announced that Signify, (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, has joined the organization to expand the innovation and deployment of G.hn technology for Light Fidelity (LiFi) applications.

Trulifi by Signify provides a range of LiFi systems that ensure a fast, secure and reliable wireless connection. LiFi is a wireless communication technology that uses LEDs to transmit data at high speeds over the visible light, ultraviolet and infrared spectrums. LiFi provides network connectivity within the premises like Wi-Fi does, but uses light waves instead of radio signals. LiFi enables data to be transmitted between multiple connected devices with the light spectrum providing low latency and avoiding the interruption that can often happen with congested radio frequency spectrum. As digital transformation accelerates to meet the growing demand for ultra-fast connectivity, LiFi will play a critical role in complementing Wi-Fi and providing a secure, reliable and spectrum-saving solution. However, for LiFi to reach its full connectivity potential for sensitive sectors such as financial services, healthcare and robotics, it will require a robust, reliable and proven physical layer encoding technology and a strong, solid backbone that connects the LEDs. G.hn technology is the perfect solution for both these needs.

“This is an extremely exciting time for the LiFi community, and we are thrilled to welcome Signify as a Contributor member. Together we will enable innovation and network infrastructure that are fully interoperable with a growing number of devices, at a time when demand for reliable and secure connectivity is increasing,” said Livia Rosu, HomeGrid Forum President. “LiFi will build on an open standard to ensure full interoperability and widespread market acceptance. Signify’s expertise will be instrumental as the Forum continues to innovate G.hn technology for LiFi use cases in airports, banks, factories, government and defense organizations – all of which require simultaneous high security and low latency connectivity.”

With a presence in over 70 countries, Signify is the world leader in LED lighting innovation and is the frontrunner in the industry’s expansion of lighting systems in both the professional and consumer markets. The portfolio of Trulifi by Signify systems is enabling the transition to Industry 4.0 by creating safer Internet highways for government and defense, office workspaces, hospitality locations, AR/VR devices and factory machines.

“Standardization is the cornerstone for LiFi interoperability, which is an essential condition for lowering barriers to adoption, encouraging competition and innovation, and building consumer confidence,” said Musa Unmehopa, Head of Ecosystems and Strategic Alliances at Signify. “We join HomeGrid Forum to grow the LiFi ecosystem in which we collectively create and build a global market where we can all compete effectively and serve consumers.”

Dr. Leonard Dauphinee, Vice President and CTO of Broadband Products at MaxLinear added: “Signify’s Trulifi product series is embedding MaxLinear’s G.hn chipsets to modulate the light waves to transmit data and to provide backhaul over existing wires, such as powerline. By leveraging their lighting infrastructure, Signify customers get the best of both worlds: a great lighting experience and a high speed wireless G.hn-encoded LiFi connection with a reliable G.hn wired backbone.”

Trulifi by Signify can also be retrofitted into existing luminaires to provide the future-proof network infrastructure.

“The capabilities of G.hn are critical success factors for enabling LiFi applications. By working together as an industry, we can ensure the end-to-end coexistence and interoperability that is needed to build the LiFi ecosystem on the solid G.hn foundation,” said Rosu.

HomeGrid Forum offers multiple membership levels within the organization. To view the membership levels and associated benefits, please visit https://homegridforum.org/join/.

ENDS

About HomeGrid Forum

HomeGrid Forum (HGF) is an industry alliance that brings together the world’s best in technology innovators, silicon vendors, system manufacturers, and service providers to promote and deploy G.hn, a globally recognized gigabit networking technology based on ITU-T standards. G.hn is the most reliable and versatile wireless home network backbone available today. Our members promote the global adoption of G.hn, a single unified, multi-sourced networking technology – over coax, copper pairs, powerline, and plastic optical fiber. HomeGrid Forum provides G.hn silicon and system certification through a strict compliance and interoperability testing program. For more information on HomeGrid Forum, please visit our website at www.homegridforum.org.

About Signify

Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. With 2020 sales of EUR 6.5 billion, we have approximately 37,000 employees and are present in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We achieved carbon neutrality in 2020, have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for four consecutive years and were named Industry Leader in 2017, 2018 and 2019. News from Signify is located at the Newsroom, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page.

Media contact

For more information, please contact Proactive PR on +44 (0) 1636 704 888 or at hgf@proactive-pr.com.