KARACHI: Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, is now able to provide people reliable, secure and fast connectivity everywhere they go. This follows a pilot with Ellamp Spa, an Italian designer and manufacturer of interior systems and components for public and private transport by road and rail, to provide Trulifi systems to buses. This latest development will improve passenger connectivity in buses and aims to give them more personal control over the facilities in the bus, including the air conditioning and light levels for their seat, but also the ordering of catering. The move follows a recent similar announcement with Latécoère to provide Trulifi for passenger aircraft.
“We’re on the verge of a new era of connectivity,” said Asad Jafar, Country Leader at Signify Pakistan. “Imagine having reliable, secure and fast connectivity, wherever there is light. That is the promise of Trulifi. The ability to provide people with the same high-quality and secure connectivity experience whether they’re aboard a bus, train, airplane or on the ground.”
The pilot with Ellamp will explore whether the wiring of the control and media systems can be simplified by connecting the individual media players using LiFi. At a later stage, when telecommunications providers enable broadband support to moving vehicles, passengers will also be able to connect their own devices to the Internet via Trulifi.
The Trulifi systems are very stable as the signal is not impacted by movements of the bus. The technology uses a line-of-sight connection that gives passengers their own secure LiFi-network, instead of having to share radio waves with other travelers. Infrared light is used so the system works in any lighting condition.
In addition to that, Ellamp aims to utilize the Trulifi infrastructure to hand passengers control over the air conditioning and light levels for their seat, but also enables them to order catering, all through a single screen in front of them.
“We’re excited to work with Signify and improve the travel experience of passengers of our buses,” said Massimo Ottino, CEO at Ellamp. “The ability to provide bus companies with the technology that helps passengers to connect to media, and hands them personal control and Internet services on buses, will significantly strengthen our market position.”
Last month, Signify announced a partnership with Latécoère, a French tier 1 partner that provides Aerostructure and Interconnection systems to major international aircraft manufacturers, to develop LiFi systems in commercial airplanes.
In airplanes, Trulifi will be used to connect media players in the headrests to the aircraft’s communication systems, providing passengers with a highly robust and fast wireless connection that doesn’t interfere with sensitive equipment and isn’t affected by the airplane’s movements. Being wireless, it also results in less cabling, and together with an infrastructure upgrade to low-weight fiber solutions, will reduce the airplane’s weight and fuel usage. In the future, passengers will also be able to connect their personal devices to the onboard media and Internet. Signify launched its Trulifi systems earlier this year and has installed more than 100 projects worldwide, showing a growing demand for the technology in offices, the hospitality sector, government institutions and industry. Trulifi combines energy-efficient LED lighting with a reliable, secure and high-speed two-way wireless connection, with speeds of up to 250 Mbps for the downlink and the uplink.
