the Internet through light bulbs. It’s called Li-Fi (for extended Light Fidelity) is an innovative wireless technology that allows you to transmit mobile data by not using the radio waves of the traditional Wi-Fi, but just the light visible or not visible. Developed in 2011 by a team led by a professor at the University of Edinburgh’s Harald Haas, first man to coniarne the name, it will be “soon” tested “within some schools of Rome. To announce, via the blog of Beppe Grillo, was on Thursday, the mayor of the Capital of Virginia Ray: “Rome wants to be a city at the cutting edge – wrote: with enthusiasm to experiment with new technologies to bring the city toward a future of more and more “smart””. Then he added: “it Is essential, when it comes to innovation, work by putting at the center the person and his needs. The technology needs to grow in order to make it more simple, inclusive and intuitive access to services, access to information. And it is important to do it starting from the very young”.

promising Solution

the Two main advantages of Li-Fi: does not produce electromagnetic pollution and the use of a spectrum – light – 10 thousand times larger than that in the radio. As a consequence, its use is not a threat to the health, is not likely to cause interference in environments such as planes and hospitals and provides high-speed connectivity wherever you are. It is in fact sufficient that the device with which you want to navigate is exposed to the light of the bulb hotspot (Led and equipped with an IP address) to obtain, in classrooms, offices and other shared spaces, the speed of transmission already in 2015, defined as “100 times faster than the Wi-Fi in a radius of about 20 meters from the source. But the performance may still be the most jaw-dropping, as recent laboratory tests have recorded speeds of up to 100 Gbps. Essentially a however the disadvantage: not being able to access the Internet if you are located in another room, since the light, unlike radio waves, cannot pass through the walls. At the time to pick up the signal it is also necessary to have a special key, but the manufacturers in the future to incorporate it inside of the enabled devices. “This technology will allow us to surf the Internet in a sustainable and safe way, – he continued – Rays. All of us we are surrounded by points of light: all those points of light they become potential transmitters of data. In closed spaces, where there are lamps that make light in the room, but also to the outside through the lights. Is growing exponentially the number of devices connected to the Internet: there will always be more need fast connections and reliable, and the Li-Fi seems to be, in fact, the answer to this need”.

other testing

Still unknown about the timing of the project, as well as the names of the schools involved. It must be said, however, that Rome will not be the first to test the service in Italy. Already in September, for example, the Marche Region has launched a public call intended to finance the construction of infrastructure materials with low emission of electromagnetic fields” – such as the Li-Fi – always in the schools. October was the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto (MArTA) to launch a pilot project that provides for the distribution of multimedia content related to the 25 works on display. It will therefore be interesting to evaluate the outcomes of those trials, notwithstanding that the road seems to be already laid out. Although it is in fact a technology that has been pioneering (and therefore expensive and little-known), according to Mordor Intelligence already in 2021, the european market of Li-Fi will touch $ 17 billion. As much as 70%, the annual growth rate. It will resend to speak.