V Rishi Kumar Wipro Lighting has, over the past two decades, sought to transform itself into a company that doesn’t just make lighting products, but tries to make them human-centric.
The aim is to offer lighting solutions that are ambient and comfortable, using the latest technologies. This approach also brings about cost and energy savings, according to Anuj Dhir, Vice-President, Business Head, Wipro Lighting.
“Over the past 25 years, we have been focussing on design and innovation, and this has enabled us to look beyond offering simple lighting solutions. Now, we not only customise according to every location but also provide a number of value-added services,” he said.
“The first of our LiFi technology-based wireless communication and lighting solutions, brought out in partnership with Scotland-based pureLiFi, will be deployed in the next couple of months,” he said.
pureLiFi is a ‘light communication’ company, founded in 2012 as a spin-out of the University of Edinburgh, that creates OEM components including LiFi drivers and receivers. ‘LiFi’ is a bidirectional fully networked wireless communication technology that uses visible light rather than radio frequencies. It can offer greater security, data rates and densities to support more robust and reliable wireless networks that complement and enhance existing cellular and Wi-Fi networks.
During a recent interaction with BusinessLine , Dhir said: “It is now about providing connected and smart lighting for not just a home, a large commercial building, a city lighting system or even a smart city. We are now talking about ‘internet of lighting’ that makes its management smart and simple.”
“Take the case of a system with over 10,000 lights in a smart city. Through a smart solution, we can remotely manage its operations since we know exactly which of the 10,000 lights are not functioning well,” he said.
Customised solutions
“We are offering ‘Power over Ethernet’ cables. Since LED lights consume less power, it is possible to offer lighting solutions through these cables. It makes for an attractive option while retrofitting existing buildings where computer systems are already installed,” he said. The company has partnered with several global players, said Dhir. These include networking major Cisco LiFi, among others, he added.