WORTECS · Project

Ultra-Fast Indoor Wireless Using Light and Radio for Data-Hungry Businesses

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wortecs.eurestools.eu

Imagine your Wi-Fi is a two-lane road, and every year more cars pile on. WORTECS built the equivalent of a 100-lane superhighway — by combining invisible light beams (LiFi) with very high-frequency radio waves to push data at terabit speeds indoors. Think of it like adding a second delivery system on top of your existing wireless: light carries massive data loads to nearby devices while radio fills in the gaps. The team proved it works with virtual reality headsets that need enormous bandwidth without any lag.

By the numbers

Tbps

Target indoor wireless networking capacity

multi-Gbps

Delivered data rate to VR terminals

above 90 GHz

Mm-wave radio frequency band used

Working demonstrators delivered (2 prototypes + 2 PoCs)

EUR 2,999,155

EU contribution to the project

Consortium partners across 4 countries

SMEs in the consortium with commercial exploitation potential

Total project deliverables completed

The business problem

What needed solving

Indoor wireless networks are hitting a wall. As businesses deploy VR training, real-time IoT, and data-intensive applications, current Wi-Fi and even 5G cannot keep up with the bandwidth demands inside buildings, stadiums, and factories. The radio spectrum is increasingly congested, and traditional solutions simply cannot deliver the terabit-per-second speeds that next-generation indoor applications require.

The solution

What was built

The project built 4 working demonstrators: a radio communication prototype and proof-of-concept operating above 90 GHz, and an optical wireless communication prototype and optical fibre wireless proof-of-concept using LiFi technology. Together these demonstrate an ultra-high density LiFi/Radio network delivering multi-Gbps to VR terminals, with a path toward terabit-per-second indoor networking.

Audience

Who needs this

Telecom operators planning beyond-5G indoor network upgradesVR/AR venue operators and theme parks needing untethered high-bandwidth experiencesSmart building developers requiring future-proof indoor connectivityStadium and convention center operators with high-density wireless demandsDefense and secure communications facilities needing optical (non-radio) data links

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Telecommunications

enterprise

Target: Mobile operators and internet service providers planning indoor 5G and beyond-5G network deployments

If you are a telecom operator dealing with spectrum congestion in dense indoor venues — this project developed working prototypes combining LiFi and mm-wave radio above 90 GHz that deliver multi-Gbps to user devices. The 7-partner consortium led by Orange SA built 4 demonstrators proving that terabit-class indoor networking is technically feasible, giving you a concrete technology path beyond current 5G capacity limits.

Immersive Technology & Entertainment

mid-size

Target: VR/AR platform companies and large venue operators needing wireless high-bandwidth experiences

If you are a VR venue or theme park operator struggling with wired headset tethering or Wi-Fi bottlenecks — this project built and tested an ultra-high density LiFi/Radio network delivering multi-Gbps specifically to virtual reality terminals. With 4 working demonstrators validated over 3 years and EUR 2,999,155 in EU funding, the technology targets the exact wireless bandwidth gap that limits untethered immersive experiences at scale.

Smart Buildings & Facility Management

enterprise

Target: Office building developers and smart campus operators needing next-generation indoor connectivity

If you are a commercial real estate developer or campus operator who needs future-proof indoor wireless infrastructure — this project combined optical wireless communication with high-frequency radio to achieve terabit-per-second networking capacity indoors. The consortium includes 3 SMEs already commercializing LiFi products (Oledcomm and PureLiFi), meaning the technology is closer to procurement-ready than typical research output.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to deploy this technology in our facility?

The project does not publish per-unit or deployment pricing. However, key consortium members Oledcomm and PureLiFi are commercial LiFi companies with existing product lines, so pricing conversations are possible directly with them. The EU invested EUR 2,999,155 across 7 partners to develop the prototypes.

Can this scale to large buildings or campuses with thousands of users?

The project specifically targeted ultra-high density indoor environments, building an ultra-high density LiFi/Radio network as one of its two main demonstrators. The combination of optical wireless and mm-wave radio above 90 GHz is designed to serve many simultaneous users in the same space without interference — a key advantage over traditional Wi-Fi.

Who owns the IP and can we license this technology?

IP is shared among the 7 consortium partners across 4 countries (DE, ES, FR, UK), led by Orange SA. The 3 SMEs — Oledcomm, PureLiFi, and others — have commercial exploitation rights. Licensing discussions would need to go through the relevant consortium partner depending on which component you need.

Does this comply with wireless regulations in our country?

The mm-wave radio operates above 90 GHz, a band that is still being regulated in many jurisdictions for commercial use. LiFi uses the optical spectrum (infrared and visible light), which is currently unregulated in most countries, giving it a deployment advantage. Based on available project data, regulatory readiness varies by component and geography.

How soon could we actually deploy this?

The project ended in October 2020 and delivered 4 working demonstrators (2 prototypes and 2 proof-of-concepts). The LiFi components from Oledcomm and PureLiFi are closest to market since both companies already sell LiFi products. The terabit-class combined system is still pre-commercial and would need further engineering for deployment.

Can this integrate with our existing network infrastructure?

The project was designed with heterogeneous networking in mind — combining optical fibre core networks with wireless LiFi and mm-wave radio as the last-meter bridge to users. Orange SA's involvement as coordinator suggests compatibility with standard telecom infrastructure was a design priority. Based on available project data, integration with existing fibre backhaul is a core feature.

Consortium

Who built it

The 7-partner consortium is well-balanced for technology transfer: 43% industry participation with Orange SA (a global telecom operator) as coordinator, flanked by 2 leading LiFi SMEs (Oledcomm from France and PureLiFi from the UK) that already have commercial products on the market. Research muscle comes from IHP (Germany) and b-com (France), with university expertise from Oxford and Las Palmas. Spread across 4 countries (DE, ES, FR, UK), the consortium covers both the research depth needed for terabit wireless and the commercial channels to bring it to market. The fact that 3 of 7 partners are SMEs with existing LiFi businesses makes this more commercially viable than typical research projects.

ORANGE SACoordinator · FR
B-COMparticipant · FR
UNIVERSIDAD DE LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIAparticipant · ES
IHP GMBH - LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE MICROELECTRONICSparticipant · DE
PURELIFI LIMITEDparticipant · UK
THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORDparticipant · UK
OLEDCOMM SASparticipant · FR

How to reach the team

Coordinator is Orange SA (France). SciTransfer can help identify the right contact within their R&D or innovation partnerships team.

Order a report on this consortium See ORANGE SA profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore terabit indoor wireless for your venue, campus, or network? SciTransfer can connect you with the right WORTECS consortium partner for your specific use case — whether that's LiFi hardware, mm-wave radio, or integrated system design.

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