LiFi and the IEEE 802.11bb Standard: Diverging LiFi Industry Opinions

In the dynamic world of wireless communication, LiFi has emerged as a beacon of innovation, promising rapid data transfer through visible light. As the technology matures, the need for standardisation becomes paramount. The IEEE 802.11bb standard, a recent addition to the LiFi ecosystem, has stirred the waters of the industry. While giants like PureLiFi and Fraunhofer HHI laud its advancements, other LiFi giants like Signify and Oledcomm express reservations. This article will delve into the contrasting views surrounding it.

What is IEEE 802.11bb?

The newest IEEE 802.11bb standard builds on previous amendments to optimise LiFi capabilities. This standard updates physical layers and the medium access control layer to enable seamless integration of IEEE 802.11 technology over visible light communication. It specifies physical layers for bidirectional communication from 800-1000 nm wavelengths, delivering 10 Mb/s to 9.6 Gb/s throughput at the MAC data service access point. This enables interoperability between solid-state light sources with diverse modulation bandwidths.

The latest IEEE 802.11bb standard has shifted Li-Fi technology to using infrared lightwaves rather than visible light, as LEDs Magazine has reported. This diverges from earlier LiFi development over the past decade, which leveraged visible light spectra from LED lamps and fixtures for communication. The new standard utilizes infrared emitters that operate at invisible wavelengths beyond visible red light. By transitioning to infrared, the latest LiFi incarnation has moved away from relying on visible indoor lighting for data transmission.

pureLiFi and Fraunhofer HHI

pureLiFi believes the new standard represents a significant leap forward. 

"The release of the IEEE 802.11bb standard is a significant moment for the wireless communications industry," said pureLiFi’s VP of Standardisation, Nikola Serafimovski, who chaired the 802.11bb Task Group. “Through the activity of the 802.11bb task group, LiFi attracted interest from some of the biggest industry players ranging from semiconductor companies to leading mobile phone manufacturers. We worked with these key stakeholders to create a standard that will provide what the industry needs to adopt LiFi at scale. I would like to thank the support of Tuncer Baykas as Vice-Chair, and Volker Jungnickel as technical editor for helping make this process so successful.”

"Through the activity of the 802.11bb task group, Li-Fi attracted interest from some of the biggest industry players ranging from semiconductor companies to leading mobile phone manufacturers," said Nikola Serafimovski, pureLiFi's vice president of standardization, who chaired the 802.11bb task group. "We worked with these key stakeholders to create a standard that will provide what the industry needs to adopt Li-Fi at scale."

"pureLiFi is delighted to see the release of the IEEE 802.11bb standard," said Alistair Banham, CEO of pureLiFi. "This is a significant moment for the LiFi industry, as it provides a clear framework for the deployment of LiFi technology on a global scale. We are proud to have played a leading role in its creation and to be ready with the world’s first standards-compliant devices. The existence of a global standard gives confidence to device manufacturers who will deploy LiFi at scale.”

With the release of the IEEE 802.11bb standard, pureLiFi believes that LiFi as a complimentary and additive solution to RF communications is now poised to take its place in the wireless communication market, offering unprecedented speed, security, and reliability to users around the world.

Fraunhofer HHI echoes these sentiments.

Volker Jungnickel from Fraunhofer HHI, technical editor of the task group, commented on the importance of a global LiFi standard: "The IEEE 802.11bb standard is a critical step to enable interoperability between multiple vendors. It allows for the first time LiFi solutions inside the WiFi ecosystem. This is essential for the development of new and innovative applications. LiFi can replace cables by short-range optical wireless links and connect numerous sensors and actuators to the Internet. We believe that this will create a future mass market. Fraunhofer HHI is looking forward to work with LiFi vendors from lighting and communication industries to make this a reality."

“Fraunhofer HHI welcomes the new IEEE 802.11bb.”, says Dominic Schulz, lead of LiFi development at Fraunhofer HHI.“ LiFi offers high-speed mobile connectivity in areas with limited RF, like fixed wireless access, classrooms, medical, and industrial scenarios. It complements or serves as an alternative to WiFi and 5G. 802.11bb integrates easily with existing infrastructures. Operating in an exclusive optical spectrum ensures higher reliability and lower latency and jitter. Light's line-of-sight propagation enhances security by preventing wall penetration, reducing jamming and eavesdropping risks, and enabling centimetre-precision indoor navigation.”

Signify and Oledcomm

On the other side, Signify expresses a different opinion. Signify, the world’s largest LED lighting company, is not impressed as LEDsMagazine reported.

“At this time, we’re not convinced of its benefits for large-scale commercial use,” the company told LEDs Magazine in an exclusive email exchange.

Signify, with its TruLiFi brand, adheres to a different standard, ITU-T G.9991 (sometimes referred to as ITU-T G.vlc) ratified by the United Nation’s International Telecommunication Union in March 2019.

“The standard’s theoretical re-use of existing Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) chipsets is far from being a practical reality, as baseband signals are not directly accessible in today’s chipsets,” a Signify spokesperson told LEDs. Baseband chips handle the modulations of communication waves — be they radio or light — on both the device side and the transmission side.

“While there are workarounds for that problem, they will come at the expense of performance, size, heat dissipation issues and, inevitably, increased cost,” the spokesperson added.

“While we will continue to explore all new technologies, at this time we are convinced that by leveraging the ITU-T G.vlc standard in our TruLiFi products, we offer the best possible Li-Fi solutions serving a wide range of applications for our customers.”

Both the Geneva-based ITU, with its U.N. link, and New York City–based IEEE, as a professional association, are influential standards setters. 

Oledcomm have their own comments.

“In my opinion, the IEEE 802.11bb is a good step but will only be significant when the digital baseband makers (Intel, Broadcom, Qualcomm...) will integrate the 802.11b function on their roadmaps,”  Oledcomm CEO Benjamin Azoulay told LEDs last week.

“The Wi-Fi chip manufacturers need to make hardware and software changes of their Wi-Fi chips (roadmaps) to make them compatible with the 802.11bb,” he reiterated today. “The problem is that I have not seen any statement and any reaction from any Wi-Fi chip maker about 802.11bb.”

Analysing the Differences

pureLiFi, who chaired the 802.11bb task group, is very positive about the new standard. They believe it represents a major advancement for the LiFi industry, attracting interest and collaboration from major players across semiconductors, lighting, and mobile phones. pureLiFi sees 802.11bb as providing the framework needed for the widespread adoption of LiFi on a global scale. They are ready with the first compliant devices and believe the standardisation will give confidence to manufacturers to deploy LiFi at scale. 

Fraunhofer HHI echoes pureLiFi's optimism. They see 802.11bb as critical for enabling interoperability between vendors, allowing LiFi solutions to integrate with WiFi ecosystems. This will open up new applications replacing cables and connecting sensors/actuators to the internet. They believe it creates a foundation for a future mass market if industry players work together.

In contrast, Signify has reservations. They are unconvinced of the benefits of large-scale commercial use at this time. Their standard is ITU-T G.vlc, which they believe offers the best LiFi solutions currently. They point to issues around reusing WiFi chipsets, which will hurt performance, size, heat, and cost. Signify will continue to explore new technologies but feels ITU-T G.vlc is superior for now.

Similarly, Oledcomm sees 802.11bb as a good step but needs adoption by WiFi chipmakers like Intel and Qualcomm before it is significant. Oledcomm believes major hardware and software changes are needed from WiFi chip roadmaps before 802.11bb sees large-scale deployment. They have not seen commitments to this from chipmakers yet.

Both the Geneva-based ITU, with its U.N. link, and New York City–based IEEE, as a professional association, are influential standards setters. 

In summary, pureLiFi and Fraunhofer HHI are optimistic about 802.11bb enabling widespread LiFi adoption, while Signify and Oledcomm are more skeptical until WiFi chipmakers fully integrate support. All agree it represents progress for standardising LiFi technology.  As LiFi continues its journey into mainstream usage, the IEEE 802.11bb standard marks a pivotal moment. With industry giants split on its adoption, only time will reveal its true impact on the future of wireless communication.