Ladakh Has the World’s First Mountain-Top LiFi Laser Internet

World’s first-ever mountain-top LiFi laser 5G internet has been successfully implemented in Ladakh after one and a half years of testing. The groundbreaking wireless internet became possible under the leadership of SECMOL founder and president Sonam Wangchuk. The technology is expected to usher in new developments in telecommunication, especially for communication in remote regions.

Releasing a video on YouTube where he explains the milestone project, Wangchuk said that he helped set up LiFi internet on Secmol Mountain-top. He claimed that the mountain-top optical wireless communication technology he helped established can go even better than the one established by SpaceX.

He continued that the technology used in Ladakh results in much lower ’emissions and pollution’ compared to traditional cell towers. The optical wireless technology also is low in setup and maintenance and is hence affordable. It can provide coverage to a wide area than regular base stations too, it’s claimed.

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Mountains no more a barrier

In the video where he appears explaining the technology, Wangchuk says that COVID-19 spurned the need for the internet in the area as education went online. However, due to the mountains bringing telecom service was hard. The high mountains couldn’t let the frequencies transmit to the desired areas. But that was not the case with his innovative mind.

The idea of LiFi dawned on him. He then started a collaboration with Nav Wireless Technologies, a Gujarat-based company to bring technology to help power the LiFi internet infrastructure on the high mountain. Then his team with the help of the students from a local school brought the battery to the top of the Secmol mountain-top.

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Lifi 5G Internet in Ladakh

The optical signal receiver receives signals in laser beam form and transmits them to a similar unit on the other end. Signals in this technology travel through the air across the mountain tops. The flickering of laser beams is taken in 0 and 1 which carries information across.

lifi 5G internet in ladakh Credit: Sonam Wangchuk

Since the technology requires no fiber laying which drives up the costs, the optical wireless technology is considerably cheaper.

The LiFi internet in Ladakh is delivering over 450 Mbps download speed, the fastest yet in the region as seen in the video.

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