The project, which has been carried out to “enhance the learning environment,” is being conducted with the University of Edinburgh, and is being overseen by Scottish Futures Trust.
The technology being used in the deployment is developer pureLiFi’s LiFi-XC system, which comprises a series of LED light bulbs positioned in the ceiling. Students have been given access to ‘LiFi-XC Stations’ to plug into their laptops, enabling connectivity while sat under the lights.
Speaking of the initiative, co-founder of pureLiFi professor Harald Haas said: “LiFi was born in Scotland at a TED Global talk that I presented in 2011. Seven years later, I am absolutely thrilled to see true LiFi deployed for the first time in a school in Scotland. It not only offers secure connectivity, but will hopefully inspire the next generation to join us in innovating for humanity and prosperity.”
Scottish minister for energy, connectivity and islands Paul Wheelhouse, said: “We are pleased to support a Scottish-born company whose complementary, emerging technology has the potential to transform delivery of wireless broadband communications. The pilot trial in Kyle Academy represents a potentially very valuable contribution to our knowledge and understanding of evolving 5G technologies.”
The Scottish government supported the pilot with a £16,000 grant through its Digital Schools initiative.
