Can LEDs help to solve the looming spectrum congestion problem?

A host of research projects in the established field of visual light communications (VLC) is pushing towards the possibility of using the lighting infrastructure to transmit data at several Gbit/s, with perhaps the most promising approach – dubbed Li-Fi (for light fidelity), a subset of VLC – making waves in several ways. The moniker's similarity to its rf equivalent, Wi-Fi, is no accident: proponents of Li-Fi are suggesting it could become as ubiquitous as IEEE802.11. But, to be fair, even the most ardent evangelists accept that it will take quite a while for the technology to mature.