Four of the biggest names in their own respective fields have teamed up and are launching their own LiFi project. Air France (Aviation), Latécoère (Aircraft Manufacturing), Oledcomm (Communications), and Ubisoft (Gaming) will be making the announcement as part of the International Air and Space Show (Salon du Bourget). 

LiFi technology looks to be the new standard in wireless communication, which uses light waves in the transmission of data. Visitors of the show will have the chance to test this new technology live as the alliance presents the features of the technology for the entire duration of the show. 

For its part, the French equipment manufacturer Latécoère will be presenting a full-size Air France medium-haul reproduction with complete integration of LiFi technology at Hall 2a (B254). This gives the company a chance to showcase LiFi at its finest as it designed an infrastructure solution that allows multimedia data exchange in-flight without causing any disruption. It also allows the usage of fiber cables in lieu of other cables onboard, which reduces overall weight and optimizing fuel consumption.

“The development of LiFi technology on airplanes, for which Latécoère is in pole position, redefines the conditions under which passengers and cabin crew will receive and exchange of flight data to horizon 5 years,” Latécoère CEO Yannick Aswad said, pertaining to the event. “We are proud to be at the forefront of this innovation and our mastery of this technology underlines the strong R&T efforts of our group over the past three years.”

Gaming giant Ubisoft will also be taking part in the demonstrations as it kicks off a Trackmania Stadium video game tournament at the Latécoère stand. Dubbed the “Air France Trackmania Cup”, the tournament will be played using tablets installed inside the reproduction medium-haul cabin of Air France. The tournament will continue through September 2019, culminating aboard an exceptional commercial flight Air France. The final event will utilize a device specially created for the event with 12 seats equipped with LiFi technology from Latécoère. 

“We are proud to participate in Le Bourget alongside two iconic groups in French aeronautics,” said Deborah Papiernik, Director of Innovative Projects at Ubisoft. “This unique partnership is an opportunity to propel Ubisoft into this new territory, 30,000 feet from our usual playground. In-flight entertainment will logically take its place in the years to come and Ubisoft is at the forefront of this evolution.

Communications giant and internet service provider Oledcomm recently unveiled a LiFi product designed for aircrafts cruising at altitudes equal to or greater than 30,000 feet. It was recently showcased at the second annual Global LiFi Congress held in Paris last June 12^th to 13^th, 2019. This international congress is an event dedicated to the promotion and development of LiFi technology.

Speaking on the partnership, Oledcomm Chairman Benjamin Azoulay was quoted as saying, “LiFi is ideal for the aerospace industry and it enables us to show we are no longer at the research stage but are already creating high added value business applications.”