Philips acquires French Li-Fi company

Holland’s Philips Lighting has quietly acquired a small French company specializing in visible light communications (VLC) in a move believed to be aimed at boosting Philips’ capabilities in Li-Fi, the light-based technology expected to provide Wi-Fi-like two-way Internet communications. The company, Luciom, has relocated from Colombelles near Caen in northern France, to Philips Lighting headquarters in Eindhoven. “Philips Lighting acquired Luciom at the end of 2016,” a Philips spokesperson confirmed for LEDs Magazine, noting that all eight of Luciom’s employees now work for Philips.