SAC, ISRO Inks MoU with Ahmedabad-based Nav Wireless Technologies for Satellite Communication in Space

Hardik Soni, Co-founder & CTO, Navwireless Technologies signing MoU with Nilesh Desai, Director, Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad

SAC, ISRO signs MoU with Nav Wireless Technologies for Optical Wireless Communication - LiFi | FSO & Quantum Key Technologies

The MoU envisages the use of the high speed secured communication technology for the upcoming space exploration programs of ISRO.

Pioneer in Light Fidelity (LiFi) technology, the Ahmedabad-based Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt Ltd (NavTech) has signed an MoU with Space Applications Centre, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). One of the major centers of ISRO, SAC has joined hands with Nav Wireless Technologies to use light-based high-speed communication for satellite communication in space.

Space agencies have already started using optical wireless technologies instead of Radio Frequency for space communication. SAC will use high speed secure quantum key communication using light from base station to satellite in space & terrestrial communication.

Through this technology, SAC will be able to do the quantum key distribution (QKD) & pointing acquisition and tracking (PAT) for satellite-to-satellite communications in the space. The technology is all set to be used in ISRO’s upcoming space exploration programs.

The MoU signed between SAC/ISRO and Nav Wireless Technologies, has a tenure of three years. Recommended by Department of Telecom (DoT), Nav Wireless Technologies is the first company in India to provide this technology to SAC, ISRO.

Commenting on this development, Hardik Soni, co-founder and CTO of Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt Ltd. said “It is a proud moment for Nav Wireless Technologies as it will contribute to the great projects of ISRO. Very few space agencies in the world are currently using LiFi technology for secured communication between base stations and for satellite communications around the globe.”

Li/Fi, also known as Light Fidelity, utilizes the transmission of data through a light beam spectrum in both indoor and outdoor environments. This technology enables ultra-fast data connections and proves especially valuable in urban areas with congested radio spectra, as well as in rural regions where fiber optic cables or networks are not available.

For over a year, Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt Ltd has been at the forefront of LiFi research and development in India. The company has positioned itself as the sole registered entity in the country dedicated to exploring the potential of LiFi technology. Through their groundbreaking work, Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt Ltd has showcased the most viable and practical solution for the nationwide launch of 5G services & BharatNet rural connectivity, utilizing Optical Wireless Communication (OWC).

Ahmedabad-based Nav Wireless Betting Big on the use of LiFi Technology for Covid-19 Treatment

• Ahmedabad based Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt. Ltd. is the only company in Asia to receive and execute commercial projects in LiFi sector for the healthcare sector


• Nav Wireless Technologies has set up LiFi based Made in India units at three government hospitals in Gujarat; exploring more tie-ups with other government and private hospitals within a state and neighbouring states like Maharastra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan


• With LiFi technology-based solutions, Doctors and Hospital staff are minimized to the risk of spreading Coronavirus infection & at the same time provide a live health data monitoring system


• Patients and medical staff in isolation wards are benefited with a radiation-free communication network

Three government-run hospitals in Gujarat have adopted the latest LiFi (Light Fidelity) technology to treat COVID-19 patients and the results have been very impressive. Ahmedabad based LiFi technology inventor, Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt. Ltd. has set up LiFi based communication facilities at Civil Hospital (Ahmedabad), Surat Municipal Institute of Medical Education & Research (SMIMER) (Surat) and Gujarat Medical Education & Research Society (GMERS) Hospital, (Vadodara). Buoyed by the tremendous positive response from the hospital management, medical staff, and patients, the company is exploring more tie-ups other government and private hospitals in Gujarat and neighbouring states like Maharastra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The company has come forward to provide speedy, accurate and safer light-based communication for patients and all the medical professionals in this difficult time of the COVID-19 pandemic.



"Considering the rising cases of COVID-19, the hospitals need faster and safer communications to speed up the patients' treatment and that's why the isolation wards at three government hospitals in Gujarat have been equipped with the latest LiFi technology. We have set up LiFi based units there which are completely Made in India. LiFi based Centralised Patient Monitoring System without the Internet at COVID-19 wards is helpful to safeguard doctors & the paramedical team at the hospital. We are in talks with other hospitals for installation of such systems to further speed up the treatment of COVID-19 patients," said Mr. Hardik Soni Co-Founder & CTO, Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Elaborating details, Mr. Pratik Parikh, Head-Global Business Development, Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt. Ltd. said, "LiFi is a mobile wireless technology that uses light rather than radio frequencies to transmit data. In India, Nav Wireless is the only registered player working on LiFi technology. Also, we are the only company in Asia in the LiFi sector to receive and execute commercial LiFi projects for the healthcare sector. We have successfully installed such a LiFi technology-based communication facility for various government institutions and private premises."

Sharing the technical aspects of the technology, Mr. Vardhan Suthar, Head-Network Architect, Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt. Ltd. said, "In critical care, monitoring is essential to the daily care of ICU patients, as the optimization of a patients hemodynamic, ventilation, temperature, nutrition, and metabolism is the key to improve patients survival. With this, all the patients and medical staff at isolation wards are able to use a radiation-free communication network without the internet data, connected to hospital instruments such as ventilators, multipara monitors and desktop pulse oxymeter etc. Furthermore, patients can access video calling facility with the doctors without an internet facility. With LiFi technology-based solutions, Doctors and Hospital Staff are minimized to the risk of spreading Coronavirus infection & at the same time provide a live health data monitoring system."

"GMERS has adopted LiFi technology advantages to protect and live tracking of patients' data for the best treatment. Constant monitoring of the patients health condition in hospital is either manual or wireless fidelity (WiFi)-based system. The WiFi-based system becomes slow in speed due to exponentially increased scalability. In this scenario, light fidelity (LiFi) finds the places wherever WiFi is applicable to additional features of a high-speed data network. Apart from the speed factor, LiFi is a more suitable in-hospital application for monitoring the patients conditions without frequency interference with the human body," said Dr. Vijay Shah, Executive Member of GMERS Hospital, Vadodara.

"NavTech LiFi Transceivers network in the hospital for monitoring the patients conditions such as temperature, pressure, heartbeat, glucose level, and respiratory conditions using respective sensors integrated with our LiFi Transceivers. NavTech LiFi Transceiver developed to increase data security, high capacity, and high speed, eco friendly, and with the patient safety," said Mr. Hardik Raval, Sr. Hardware Engineer of the company.

Li-fi sets record data transmission of 10Gbps

Sisoft, which is a Mexican software development company, has been successful in transmitting video, audio and Internet at a data transfer rate of 10Gbps across the spectrum of light emitted by LED lamps.

Sisoft made this possible using a technology called Visible Light Communication (VLC). This technology has the power to illuminate a large work space, such as an office, while at the same time providing full mobile internet to each and every device that comes within the range of light spectrum.

Earlier in April this year, some Scottish researchers were successful in achieving 1.1 gigabytes per second using the same VLC technology.

The technology is also known as light fidelity or Li-Fi and it is being promoted as an alternative to Wi-Fi as it has the potential to maximise the originally provided internet speed to offer safer data transfer and a data transfer rate of up to 10Gbps. The Li-Fi devices transfer data using the LEDs that emit an intermittent flicker at a speed that is not visible to the human eye.

According to Arturo Campos Fentanes, who is the CEO of Sisoft, while Wi-Fi makes use of cables to spread our connections, wireless transmission Li-Fi uses LED lamps that emit high brightness light. According to him, another advantage which Li-Fi has over Wi-Fi is that there is no way to hack the signal since the Internet is being transmitted by light waves and there is no way to steal it.

Li-Fi can also be used in hospitals areas that make use of radiation apparatus and generally distort or block internet signal.

In Mexico, the current highest transfer rate is 200 megabytes per second. Just to get an idea, with Li-Fi a user can download an entire High definition movie in just 45 seconds.

Initially, Li-Fi began with an internet speed of just 2Gbps, but Sisoft worked hard with the researchers from Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico and adapted the system to be multiplied 5 times.

The first experiments were done with audio, in which a cable was connected via 3.5 mm audio jack from a Smartphone to a protoboard table in order to transform the auditory signals into optical waves. This way a special emitter transmits data across the spectrum of light generated by an LED lamp, which is finally captured by a receptor located in a speaker that reproduces sound.

The mechanics used for wireless internet transmission is also similar. In it, the Sisoft developed station stands above the router device that distributes the internet signal. A lamp LED is then incorporated so as to maximise the speed of data transfer. Light will emulate an antenna, but only the electronic apparatuses that are inside the range of the halo of light and have a receptor for the optical audio signal will have a connection.

Li-fi sets record data transmission of 10Gbps

Sisoft, which is a Mexican software development company, has been successful in transmitting video, audio and Internet at a data transfer rate of 10Gbps across the spectrum of light emitted by LED lamps.

Sisoft made this possible using a technology called Visible Light Communication (VLC). This technology has the power to illuminate a large work space, such as an office, while at the same time providing full mobile internet to each and every device that comes within the range of light spectrum.

Earlier in April this year, some Scottish researchers were successful in achieving 1.1 gigabytes per second using the same VLC technology.

The technology is also known as light fidelity or Li-Fi and it is being promoted as an alternative to Wi-Fi as it has the potential to maximise the originally provided internet speed to offer safer data transfer and a data transfer rate of up to 10Gbps. The Li-Fi devices transfer data using the LEDs that emit an intermittent flicker at a speed that is not visible to the human eye.

According to Arturo Campos Fentanes, who is the CEO of Sisoft, while Wi-Fi makes use of cables to spread our connections, wireless transmission Li-Fi uses LED lamps that emit high brightness light. According to him, another advantage which Li-Fi has over Wi-Fi is that there is no way to hack the signal since the Internet is being transmitted by light waves and there is no way to steal it.

Li-Fi can also be used in hospitals areas that make use of radiation apparatus and generally distort or block internet signal.

In Mexico, the current highest transfer rate is 200 megabytes per second. Just to get an idea, with Li-Fi a user can download an entire High definition movie in just 45 seconds.

Initially, Li-Fi began with an internet speed of just 2Gbps, but Sisoft worked hard with the researchers from Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico and adapted the system to be multiplied 5 times.

The first experiments were done with audio, in which a cable was connected via 3.5 mm audio jack from a Smartphone to a protoboard table in order to transform the auditory signals into optical waves. This way a special emitter transmits data across the spectrum of light generated by an LED lamp, which is finally captured by a receptor located in a speaker that reproduces sound.

The mechanics used for wireless internet transmission is also similar. In it, the Sisoft developed station stands above the router device that distributes the internet signal. A lamp LED is then incorporated so as to maximise the speed of data transfer. Light will emulate an antenna, but only the electronic apparatuses that are inside the range of the halo of light and have a receptor for the optical audio signal will have a connection.

Li-Fi is a New Faster Alternative to Wi-Fi

A new data connectivity technology has been invented by Chinese scientist named as - Li-Fi (Light-Fidelity), it is a label for wireless-communication systems using light as a carrier instead of traditional radio frequencies, as in Wi-Fi — Wireless-Fidelity.

In an experiment in Shanghai's Fudan University of China, four computers were successfully connected to internet through 1-watt LED bulb using light as a carrier instead of traditional radio frequencies, as in Wi-Fi.

Chi, who leads a Li-Fi research team including scientists from the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences explained that the new discovery dubbed as 'Li-Fi', a light bulb with embedded microchips can produce data rates as fast as 150 megabits per second, which is speedier than the average broadband connection in China.

The new Li-Fi technology will much cheaper as well as much efficient and speedier than traditional Wi-Fi technology that existed almost in every offices and netizens' urban homes worldwide. 10 sample Li-Fi kits will be on display at the China International Industry Fair that will start from November 5 in Shanghai.

Li-Fi has the advantage of being able to be used in electromagnetic sensitive areas such as in aircraft, nuclear power plants, oil & gas installations and other places without causing interference. However, the light waves used cannot penetrate walls which makes Li-Fi significantly more secure relative to Wi-Fi.

If the light is blocked, then the signal will be cut off and in order to use Li-Fi one has to replace old-fashioned incandescent bulbs with LED light bulbs. However there is long way to go for Li-fi to become as commercially successful as Wi-Fi currently is.

The term Li-Fi was coined by Professor Harald Haas from the University of Edinburgh in the UK and first used in his 2011 TED Global talk on visible light communication and Li-fi refers to a type of VLC technology that delivers a networked, mobile, high-speed communication solution in a similar manner as Wi-Fi.

[Image Credits - ExtremeTech]