Oledcomm wins NATO DIANA spot for Li-Fi drone tech

Oledcomm has been selected for NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) Challenge Programme for its LISA system. The French optical wireless communications company was one of 150 selected from more than 3,600 applicants.

The selection places Oledcomm in a cohort whose work will be made available to 24 countries involved in North Atlantic and European security policy. The programme focuses on technologies intended to support the security of populations across NATO countries.

LISA is a light-based communications system for drones. It uses invisible light through Li-Fi rather than the radio-frequency spectrum, aiming to maintain links in environments where radio channels are congested or vulnerable to disruption.

The system is intended to support fast data transmission to and from drones while reducing exposure to interference, geolocation and hacking. Oledcomm says this makes it suitable for use in sensitive command posts and stealth operations.

The NATO selection comes as military planners and industry suppliers across Europe place greater emphasis on drone use in both combat and civilian settings. Demand has grown for communications systems that can operate when radio-frequency networks are contested, crowded or monitored.

Oledcomm is also putting forward a second project, CLOVIS, alongside LISA. The company says CLOVIS can establish a secure Li-Fi mesh network linking five vehicles in under five minutes.

Like LISA, CLOVIS relies on light waves rather than radio signals. The approach is intended to limit interception and jamming risks while reducing operator exposure and easing workload through automated detection and tracking.

Oledcomm’s focus on Li-Fi reflects wider defence interest in alternatives to conventional wireless systems. In military environments, radio-frequency communications can reveal positions, attract interference and struggle in crowded spectrum conditions, prompting interest in more discreet forms of data exchange.

Li-Fi uses light to transmit data, typically outside the visible range, and can provide a directional method of communication. In defence settings, that can make links harder to detect beyond the intended path, although such systems also depend on line-of-sight conditions and deployment geometry.

Oledcomm says the technology has already been used by French forces during the DAFA25 and SJO military exercises. Those deployments, it says, showed the value of Li-Fi in critical operating environments where resilient communications are a priority.

Inclusion in the DIANA programme gives Oledcomm access to a defence innovation network connecting start-ups, researchers and allied governments. For smaller specialist suppliers, entry into such programmes can provide validation, testing opportunities and exposure to procurement communities across multiple countries.

Only a small share of applicants were chosen for the latest cohort. Based on figures disclosed by Oledcomm, the selection rate was just over 4%, underlining the competitive nature of the process.

Oledcomm’s work sits at the intersection of communications security, autonomous systems and battlefield mobility. The prominence of drones in recent conflicts has sharpened scrutiny of how those platforms are controlled, how video and telemetry are transmitted, and how operators can keep links active under electronic attack.

For armed forces, the issue is not limited to large military drones. Smaller uncrewed systems used for reconnaissance, logistics and support roles also need communications methods that are reliable and difficult to disrupt, especially near the front line or in densely occupied spectrum environments.

CLOVIS addresses a related challenge in ground operations by focusing on communication between vehicles. A rapidly deployable mesh network can help mobile units maintain coordination without depending on more exposed or more easily disrupted radio systems.

The French group specialises in optical wireless communications, an area that has attracted interest in civilian sectors as well as defence. In commercial settings, Li-Fi has been explored for offices, industrial sites, transport and secure facilities where users want alternatives or complements to Wi-Fi and mobile networks.

In defence, however, the emphasis shifts from bandwidth and convenience to survivability and discretion. Systems that reduce the risk of interception or jamming can carry strategic value even if they are deployed only in specific operational scenarios.

Oledcomm says its technology and expertise are now being made available to 24 countries shaping North Atlantic and European security policy. The company adds that Li-Fi has already been “successfully deployed and praised by French forces during the DAFA25 and SJO military exercises, demonstrating its value in critical environments.”