Video: Scottish Li-fi technology 'vital' for India

Apple have been looking at introducing Li-Fi into the iPhone

Pioneering Light-enabled wireless internet technology, promises to transform internet communication and will be showcased at events in India next week.

Invented by Professor Harald Haas, of the University of Edinburgh, the high-speed wireless technology uses light to send information securely.

Li-fi - light-enabled Wi-Fi – offers faster and safer transfer of data than conventional Wi-Fi and can provide up to 10,000 times more capacity.

It could prove a crucial development for India’s growing population and its 400 million internet users.

Apple have been looking at introducing Li-Fi into the iPhone

Apple is thought to be experimenting with Li-Fi for use in future iPhones, after references to the technology were discovered within the code of the iOS mobile operating system.

Professor Haas, co-founder of spin-out company pureLiFi, will provide a demonstration of the technology for students at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.

He will also promote it at the Make in India event in Mumbai, which will showcase the potential of design, innovation and sustainability across India’s manufacturing sectors in the coming decade.

Professor Haas, who is Chair of Mobile Communications at the University of Edinburgh, said: “The UK industry regulator for communications, Ofcom, has warned that the available radio spectrum will run out by 2020. By that time, the planet’s population is predicted to be accessing an average of 1,000 wireless devices each, so a solution needs to be found.”

Harald Haas with some of the University of Edinburgh's Indian students

The Li-Fi events are part of a programme of activity that is being organised by the University of Edinburgh in India throughout February.

The Scottish university, ranked 21st in the world, will showcase its research in medicine, science and the humanities. It will stage a series of public lectures and academic events in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore.

Academics will promote a number of ongoing projects in a range of disciplines, including marine renewable technology, animal husbandry and social sciences.

Apple have been looking at introducing Li-Fi into the iPhone

Ranked among the top universities in the world, the events are expected to attract Edinburgh alumni, education professionals and business contacts throughout India.

During the visit, Edinburgh academics will also seek new collaborations with some of India’s leading institutions and businesses.

The University has links with a number of Indian universities including the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research, the Indian Institute of Science, the National Centre for Biological Science, the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The Principal of the University of Edinburgh, Professor Sir Timothy O’Shea said: “The University of Edinburgh enjoys a long standing relationship with India. An important part of our engagement has been the development of major, mutually beneficial links with universities.

“This series of events underpins our commitment to strengthen research and teaching partnerships, grow our Indian student body and reinforce our position as a partner of choice in India.”