Alphabet's Taara: Internet based on laser technology arrives in India
Google parent Alphabet's 'moonshot' ideas for bringing internet access to remote and rural areas—solar-powered drones and high-altitude balloons in the stratosphere—were failures. It then came up with another idea: laser internet technology or Project Taara. The company has roped in Bharti Airtel to provide the technology in India's remote areas. Let's see what the Taara is about.
Why does this story matter?
Loon, the stratospheric balloon project, was one of Alphabet's most ambitious projects. A decade after its origin, the company shut down Loon due to its inability to make it a sustainable business. Project Taara is an offshoot of Loon. With Taara, however, Alphabet seemed to have found some success. It needs to be seen how Taara would fare in India.
Taara is a product of Alphabet's Moonshot Factory
Like Loon, Taara is also a product of Alphabet's innovation lab called 'X, the moonshot factory.' Taara was formerly known as the Free Space Optical Communications (FSOC) Project. FSOC was developed as part of Loon to send data between two flying balloons. Although Loon was scrapped, the 'X' division kept working on FSOC. How does Taara work?
Taara transmits information in the form of narrow, invisible beams
In simple terms, Taara is similar to a fiber optic cable, but without the cable. Taara transmits information at very high speeds with the help of light in the form of a narrow, invisible beam. The beam is sent between two Taara terminals to create a link. There should be a clear line of sight between the terminals.
Alphabet and Airtel ready for large-scale deployment of Taara
Taara was piloted in Andhra Pradesh in 2017. The company then tested it in Africa. Now, Alphabet and Airtel are gearing up for large-scale deployment of the technology in India. It is currently available in 13 countries, including Australia, Kenya, and Fiji. Taara partners with local telcos, who use Taara terminals to build communication infrastructure in remote areas.
Taara transmits more data per day than Loon
"We are trying to be one of the cheapest and the most affordable place where you would be able to get dollar per gigabyte to the end consumers," said Mahesh Krishnaswamy, Taara's GM. In 2021, a Taara link transmitted 700TB across the Congo River. "Taara is moving more data every single day than Loon did in its entire history," said Astro Teller, X's CEO.
