IoRL · Project

Indoor Broadband via Light and Radio: Faster, Safer Building Connectivity

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Imagine if every light bulb in your office building was also a super-fast internet hotspot. That's essentially what IoRL built — a system that uses both visible light (LiFi) and millimeter-wave radio to deliver broadband speeds above 10 Gbps inside buildings, while also tracking your exact position within 10 cm. Think of it like replacing your congested Wi-Fi with a highway that runs through every ceiling light fixture. The whole system is managed by smart software that can be customized per room, per tenant, per use case.

By the numbers

>10 Gbps

Target throughput from building access points

<10 cm

Indoor location accuracy

Consortium partners

Countries in the consortium

Industry partners in consortium

Total project deliverables

57%

Industry ratio in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Buildings today suffer from congested, unreliable wireless networks with poor security, limited bandwidth, and inaccurate indoor positioning. Standard Wi-Fi struggles with interference between tenants and neighboring networks, while cellular signals degrade significantly indoors. Building owners and facility managers lack a high-performance, customizable connectivity solution that can also provide precise indoor location services.

The solution

What was built

The project built a proof-of-concept demonstrator combining visible light communication (LiFi) and millimeter-wave radio into a unified building network, managed by SDN/NFV software. Concrete deliverables include a Building Network Services API with virtual network functions for traffic steering, handover, multi-source streaming, location sensing, and security — plus integrated demonstration terminals running convergent services.

Audience

Who needs this

Commercial real estate firms managing multi-tenant office buildings with connectivity demandsTelecom equipment manufacturers developing next-generation indoor network productsSmart building solution integrators deploying IoT and indoor positioning systemsLarge venue operators (airports, hospitals, shopping centers) needing high-density indoor broadbandData center and enterprise IT teams requiring secure, high-throughput indoor wireless

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Commercial Real Estate & Property Management

enterprise

Target: Large property management firms and building owners

If you are a commercial building owner struggling with tenant complaints about slow, unreliable Wi-Fi — this project developed a converged light-and-radio network that delivers greater than 10 Gbps throughput using existing light fixtures as access points. The system also provides indoor location accuracy under 10 cm, which you could offer as a premium connectivity service to increase property value and attract higher-paying tenants.

Telecommunications & Network Equipment

enterprise

Target: Telecom equipment manufacturers and indoor network solution providers

If you are a network equipment manufacturer looking for the next generation of indoor connectivity products — this project built and demonstrated integrated VLC and mmWave hardware with an SDN/NFV software layer that manages virtual network functions like traffic steering, handover, and multi-source streaming. With 13 industry partners already involved across 9 countries, the technology is designed to fit into existing electric light form factors and consumer products.

Smart Building & Facility Management

mid-size

Target: Companies deploying smart building or indoor positioning solutions

If you are a facility management company that needs precise indoor positioning for asset tracking, wayfinding, or security — this project delivered location sensing with accuracy under 10 cm, integrated into the building's lighting network. The system also includes home security and network security virtual functions, making it a dual-purpose connectivity and safety platform built on standard SDN/NFV architecture.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to deploy this in a commercial building?

The project data does not include per-unit or deployment cost figures. However, the system was designed to integrate into existing electric light infrastructure, which could reduce installation costs compared to fully new cabling. Contact the consortium for pricing estimates based on building size and requirements.

Can this scale to large multi-tenant office buildings or campuses?

The project built virtual network functions for end-to-end traffic steering, handover between access points, and multiple source streaming — all essential for large-scale deployments. The SDN/NFV architecture allows centralized management and per-tenant customization. With 23 consortium partners and demonstrations completed, the technology was designed with scalability in mind.

What is the IP situation — can we license this technology?

The project involved 23 partners across 9 countries, so IP is likely shared among consortium members under the Horizon 2020 grant agreement. The project also pursued ITU standardization, which could make some specifications openly available. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the relevant consortium partners.

How does this compare to existing Wi-Fi 6 or 5G indoor solutions?

The system targets greater than 10 Gbps throughput, which exceeds current Wi-Fi 6 speeds and matches 5G mmWave promises but with the added benefit of visible light communication for reduced interference and EM exposure. The sub-10 cm location accuracy significantly outperforms Wi-Fi-based positioning systems, which typically achieve 1-3 meter accuracy.

Is this ready for commercial deployment today?

The project ended in November 2020 and reached the proof-of-concept demonstrator stage with integrated hardware and software components. Based on available project data, it would need further engineering for production-ready products. The consortium was actively pursuing ITU global standardization to support commercial rollout.

What regulatory approvals would be needed?

The project aimed to establish a global standard through ITU, which would help define the regulatory path. Visible light communication and mmWave technologies have different regulatory requirements by country. Based on available project data, the ITU standardization work was a key project output designed to simplify future regulatory compliance.

Does the system require specialized hardware or can it use existing fixtures?

A core design goal was to industrially design a radio-light solution that integrates into the myriad of form factors of existing electric light systems and consumer products. The approach leverages the pervasiveness of existing electric light access points, which should reduce deployment complexity compared to entirely new infrastructure.

Consortium

Who built it

The IoRL consortium is unusually large with 23 partners across 9 countries, reflecting the complexity of integrating optical, radio, and software networking technologies. With 13 industry partners (57% of the consortium) and 5 SMEs, this is a heavily industry-driven project — a strong signal that commercial interests shaped the research direction. Key players include telecom research institute EURESCOM as coordinator (Germany), with partners spanning China, Greece, Spain, France, Israel, Poland, Turkey, and the UK. The mix of 6 universities and 3 research organizations provided the scientific backbone, while the industry majority pushed toward practical, deployable solutions. For a potential business partner, this broad consortium means the technology has already been vetted by multiple industry players and integrated across different national markets.

EURESCOM-EUROPEAN INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH AND STRATEGIC STUDIES IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS GMBHCoordinator · DE
RUNEL NGMT LTDparticipant · IL
CENTRO DE INNOVACION DE INFRAESTRUCTURAS INTELIGENTESparticipant · ES
VIAVI SOLUTIONS UK LIMITEDparticipant · UK
ASSOCIATION ISEP - EDOUARD BRANLYparticipant · FR
TSINGHUA UNIVERSITYparticipant · CN
BUILDING RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT LTDparticipant · UK
ARCELIK A.S.participant · TR
POLITECHNIKA WARSZAWSKAparticipant · PL
FERROVIAL CONSTRUCCION SAparticipant · ES
NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH "DEMOKRITOS"participant · EL
BRUNEL UNIVERSITY LONDONparticipant · UK
SOCIETE D'ECONOMIE MIXTE ISSY - MEDIA (SEM ISSY MEDIA)participant · FR
UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTERparticipant · UK
OLEDCOMM SASparticipant · FR

How to reach the team

EURESCOM GmbH (Germany) coordinated this project. SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to the right technical contact within the consortium.

Order a report on this consortium See EURESCOM-EUROPEAN INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH AND STRATEGIC STUDIES IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS GMBH profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how IoRL's indoor light-and-radio broadband technology could work in your buildings? SciTransfer can connect you with the right consortium partner for your specific use case — from equipment licensing to deployment consulting.

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