On Standardisation of LiFi and Beyond

We will discuss about a presentation delivered at the recent Li-Fi Conference 3rd edition. The presentation titled “On Standardisation of LiFi and Beyond” was delivered by Nikola Serafimovski, VP. Standardization and Business Development, pureLiFi / Co-chairman, Light Communication Alliance.

You can watch the full presentation on the following link:

Here is a summary of the key points from Nikola Serafimovski's presentation on LiFi standardization:

There are two main standards relevant for LiFi - ITU-T G.9991 and IEEE 802.11bb.
G.9991 leverages existing G.hn chipsets used in home networking for high speed powerline and visible light communication. Provides interoperability.
G.9991 uses master nodes for coverage areas and global master for network management. Enables mobility.
802.11bb extends WiFi standard to support light communication. Leverages widespread WiFi ecosystem.
Motivation for 802.11bb is WiFi's global scale and device integration. Reduces barriers to adoption.
802.11bb allows use of existing WiFi chipsets with added optical frontend. This in theory will simplifies integration.
First 802.11bb compliant products are available from PureLiFi. Milestone for interoperable devices.
Next steps are continuing standards improvement, promoting benefits of LiFi, encouraging chipset vendors, pushing research boundaries.
Focus should be on real-world deployment and market development based on standards to drive adoption.
G.9991 allows reuse of widely deployed G.hn chipsets optimized for wired-like robust connections. Facilitates integration.
Simple front-end circuits with LED/photodiode can connect to G.9991 chipsets. Many implementation options.
Thousands of G.9991 compliant systems already deployed globally in research/commercial. Proof of viability.
802.11bb motivated by WiFi's unparalleled scale - billions of chips shipped. Massive ecosystem and low barriers.
802.11bb specifies optical wireless adaptations like frequency shifting from RF bands to light bands.
Two options for 802.11bb - direct baseband to optical conversion or shift RF to light.
802.11bb complete and available to purchase openly. Fully specifies integration pathway.
Light Communications Alliance welcomes participation to advance certification programs for devices.
Pushing chipset vendors through customer demand will increase 802.11bb traction and next-gen systems.
Research and academia involvement essential to keep expanding capabilities and enabling future applications.

Leveraging existing deployed standards, minimising integration complexity, expanding certification and testing, driving chipset adoption through customer demand, and advancing research are very important in the adoption of LiFi on a global scale.

On Standardisation of LiFi and Beyond - Li-Fi Conference 2023 Presentation