The other major player is Royal Philips Electronics (nyse: PHG - news - people ), with its no. 1 position in global lighting.

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It's a combination that will inevitably help the LED dominate the market for illuminating the world's workplaces, according to the global leader in lighting sales.

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Almost 20% of global electricity consumption comes from lighting, so shifting lighting to LED technology is a cost-effective way to get change at scale.

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That's because when it is turned on, Color collects global positioning, gyroscope, ambient lighting and other data from phones to determine who else is in close proximity.

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As part of the global effort to conserve energy resources, governments have begun to mandate the phase out of traditional lighting.

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The company said global demand for flat-panel TVs and digital devices had weakened, though sales of LED lighting and in-car equipment had grown.

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Itron (ITRI) has the leading market share in the global smart metering industry, and Echelon (ELON) provides network solutions and interfaces for street lighting, residential appliances and facility monitoring.

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