Hydromea is Leading the Development of the Global Underwater Wireless Optical Communication Standard

Hydromea is leading the development of the global underwater wireless optical communication standard for bandwidths up to 10Mbps within the Subsea Wireless Group (SWiG), of which Hydromea has been a member since 2019.

The Subsea Wireless Group (SWiG) is an international industry network of manufacturers and users of subsea wireless communication equipment (radio frequency, acoustic, free-space optic, inductive power, hybrid) and it promotes their interoperability.

Hydromea is an emerging leader in the field of wireless optical communication systems that can send data through water at speeds of up to 10Mbps using dispersed LED light. This assures wide-angle communication coverage as opposed to laser systems that require fine alignment. Hydromea’s technology enables wireless, high-speed, low-latency communication between two or more communication nodes at depths down to 6’000 meters. Currently, there is no industry standard, which makes the deployment of such systems less attractive for the end users.

Felix Schill, co-founder and CTO of Hydromea, said: “We are very proud that our work on underwater wireless technology earned us a prominent place within the Subsea Wireless Group and that the industry players have entrusted us with leading the development of the standard.”

Chevron, Equinor, and TotalEnergies became members of SWiG to drive interoperability of underwater wireless technologies in the energy sector. They welcome initiatives that take a lead on development of industry standards. This will positively affect the adoption of underwater wireless technology by the industry.

Shreekant Mehta, SWiG project manager, added: “Hydromea have been a key party in the development of SWiG standards. In co-operation with an operator, they are drafting an open standard that will facilitate interoperable 1-10mbps FSO (free-space optical) communications for the industry. This standard will be donated to SWiG for review and will significantly accelerate the SWiG timeline. End users will be able to deploy high speed FSO technology that adheres to a SWiG standard. Standardization initiatives require collaboration and cooperation between vendor competitors. We are lucky in SWiG to have a high level of cooperation between vendors. Hydromea are a great example of this collaborative spirit.”

Founded in 2014, Hydromea is a Swiss-based autonomous underwater robotics company delivering solutions that allow customers to have unparalleled access to subsea data and underwater assets. Ultra-fast and high-volume, real-time data transfer brings a paradigm shift in our quest to explore the ocean and understand its impact on the subsea economy.

Established in 2011, The Subsea Wireless Group (SWiG) is an international industry network promoting interoperability for subsea wireless communications (radio frequency, acoustic, free-space optic, inductive power, hybrid).