Efforts to launch Li-Fi technology in KOM

Muscat: Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM), the technology arm of the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE), is undertaking significant efforts to launch Li-Fi technology in KOM in cooperation with AASA, a US-based innovative technology company.
Nasser Al Malki, Acting Director-General of KOM, said the management was working on inking an agreement to get this technology. Through the Memorandum of Understanding, Proof of Concept (PoC) would be determined for the installation and operation of this technology in KOM.
Al Malki explained that visible light communication (VLC) was an innovative wireless communication technology offering high bandwidth, immunity from interference of electromagnetic sources, and high levels of communication security.
“The latest advances in the field of solid state lighting, and the inevitable replacement of florescent lighting by light emitting diodes (LEDs), will facilitate the deployment of VLC technology. The use of bidirectional VLC through LEDs is referred to as Li-Fi. Li-Fi relieves the load of existing radio frequency (RF) and microwave wireless networks by powering visible photons for light generation and optical communication alike,” he said.
“Some advantages of VLC/Li-Fi, when compared to current wireless technologies, are network security, worldwide availability, unlicenced spectrum (high speed and high capacity), low power consumption, and the lack of electromagnetic interference,” he pointed out.
He said that VLC could also be used for accurate positioning, which enabled indoor navigation and an enhanced consumer experience in a multitude of applications such as retail stores, airports, and museums. The high positioning accuracy based on VLC makes it possible to use the technology as a much cheaper alternative for virtual reality (VR) applications.
Eng. Farid Bichareh, Chief Technology Officer of AASA, elaborated on Li-Fi as an innovative wireless communication for the connected world. He emphasised that the world was experiencing an exponential increase in the demand for wireless data communication, particularly with the introduction of the smart cities and Internet of Things concepts.
“This increased demand for wireless data communication is making it necessary to find alternatives to Wi-Fi and RF communication,” he said, adding, “VLC, which is also referred to as Li-Fi, is an ideal new innovative technology to address this new demand with particular emphasis for applications in the Oil and Gas industry. Additionally, AASA VLC/Li-Fi enabled solutions could be tailored for the Oil and Gas industry.”
By bringing Li-Fi technology, KOM aims to enhance the incentives for investors, including accessibility of necessary ICT infrastructure, which plays an important role in attracting private companies and entrepreneurs from inside and outside the Sultanate.
Through KOM, the PEIE aims to establish an integrated society in which institutions in different fields of ICT and advanced industries coexist. This will eventually play a role in enhancing the knowledge development drive in the Sultanate, in addition to providing comprehensive services to meet the needs of individuals and institutions in KOM in a fast and efficient manner.
KOM aims at developing Oman as a robust, diverse, prosperous and self-sustaining knowledge-driven economy. It aspires to contribute to economic diversification by offering investment opportunities in the IT sector and eventually building a knowledge-based economy in the Sultanate.