A flexible optical illumination system may be used to illuminate components or areas of an electronic device such as mobile and portable communication devices. The flexible lightguide may manipulate and channel light selectively throughout an electronic assembly providing illumination for selective areas or an entire device. The lightguide may further include various filters and components for modifying, detecting and processing light and characteristics thereof. A flexible lightguide may be created from numerous optically transparent materials and processes such as film lamination, adhesive binding and molding. The lightguide may be created by a process that combines the manufacturing and assembly of the lightguide with the manufacturing and assembly of other components of the device. The lightguide may further be integrated into various mechanical or electronic components. The illumination system may also be used in different applications including decoration, illumination, alarms, message transfer and data transfer.