Your lives are completely hyper-connected in the present day, and this is no longer a need but a need. Even though you are still a kilometre from the ground! The time has come to start providing high quality and high-speed broadband while airborne, because the number of people who will be able to fly an aeroplane is growing. For the plane’s future communication system, LiFi, a form of free space optical communication, is a generation-defining innovation. Short for Light Fidelity, LiFi is a cutting-edge new wireless communication technology that uses light to surf the internet instead of radio waves. LiFi also promises to offer aircraft passengers high-speed internet, better security, and less electromagnetic interference.
1. The Need for Speed: LiFi’s Blazing-Fast Internet
The major benefit of LiFi is the rapid pace at which it transmits data. Conventional in-flight WiFi systems use radio waves, which are slow and undependable. In contrast, LiFi transfers data via light, at up to 100 times the pace of traditional WiFi. How delightful it is to be able to watch your most beloved films, play computer games, or engage in video calls without interruption or difficulty while flying.
2. Secure Skies: LiFi’s Impenetrable Data Protection
In the modern digital world, cybersecurity should be one of the top concerns, including the aviation industry. The fact is that the use of the traditional radio-based communication system is also associated with hacking, eavesdropping, and many other forms of interference, sharing similar safety risks as well as threats to passenger data safety. It should be noted that compared to all the above sources of light, LiFi is the safest available source of lighting possible.
3. Electromagnetic Interference? Not with LiFi!
Aircrafts communication systems require integrating with other electronic devices on board and check operation reliability and safety. Nevertheless, the fix of radio-based navigation systems sometimes incurs EMI disruption which can negatively impact vital avionics and navigation systems.
4. Unwavering Reliability: LiFi’s Resilience in the Skies
Apart from that, LiFi is exceptionally resilient, which is guaranteed by many of its distinctive characteristics. While radio signals can be lost due to atmospheric conditions or brownouts, light signals will not only remain but also be stronger. This means that, despite atmospheric turbulence, precipitation, or other factors, the light is not distorted.
5. The Green Initiative: LiFi’s Eco-Friendly Approach
Given the aviation industry’s intention to minimise environmental harm, LiFi is a safer and a more sustainable in-flight communication solution. The entire application of Wi-Fi in planes means using radio waves that burn a lot of energy. LiFi, on the other hand, works by receiving a signal from lights that brightens the cabin.
6. Overcoming Challenges: Paving the Way for LiFi Adoption
However, despite LiFi’s great promise of application in the aircraft communication systems, there are still critical issues to be addressed before its large-scale implementation. The main obstacle is its range and a necessity for a direct line of sight. Unlike radio waves, LiFi cannot pass through objects.
Conclusion
Aircraft communication systems have a bright future ahead of them and the future of Li-Fi technology is destined to become a cornerstone of the upcoming revolution. Boasting high-speed connections, unique security features, limited electromagnetic interference, and an environmentally friendly approach, LiFi is likely to become the new standard of in-flight connectivity for both passengers and crew.
