A UK munitions manufacturing site in Gosport, situated on the southwestern shores of Portsmouth Harbour, will test a new communications system known as Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) as a potential alternative to standard Wi-Fi.
Currently, staff work in custom-fitted processing facilities where mobile internet and standard Wi-Fi are not permitted due to the safety risks of using radio transmissions around the complex weapons and general munitions being stored there.
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This lack of connectivity can significantly impact their productivity, as staff cannot access online technical documentation, operation notes and test plans and are prevented from real-time collaboration on munitions information-sharing and training with delivery teams and design authorities.
Li-Fi technology is a bidirectional wireless system that transmits data via LED or infrared light. It could prove to be a viable alternative for connecting teams at specialist facilities where Wi-Fi is not an option.
One Spanish energy utility company, Iberdrola, estimates that the global market will reach a value of nearly $36bn in 2028, and that over the next ten years the compound annual growth rate will rise to 71.2%. The Asia-Pacific region will lead global growth in Li-Fi technology up to 2028, overtaking Europe, which remained at the forefront in 2017.
The Gosport pilot is assessing how easy the Li-Fi technology is to use, its performance and the stability of the signal it creates around Defence Munitions Gosport.
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By GlobalDataIt has been facilitated by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Weapons Operating Centre and is being run by DE&S Digital and UK Strategic Command Defence Digital, in conjunction with Consolite Technology and Centiant International.
“Lif-FI provides radio frequency-free wireless data for explosive atmospheres, as we see in Gosport. Li-Fi also provides data where icnreased cybersecurity protection is desirable, and typically much faster data, more than ten times the sort of speeds we see in our homes,” explained Nick Rice, CEO at Consolite.
The pilot is due to conclude in late-2024 and its results will be used to inform future investments.
“Introducing this new technology in our unique operating environment has relied on excellent Defence and industry teamwork and collaboration throughout, which further demonstrates the ‘One Defence’ mindset,” suggested Pete Forder, Defence Munitions digital lead at DE&S.
