Taara Aims to Initiate a New Era of Light-Powered Internet

Alphabet’s X, sometimes called the “moonshot factory,” is known for its innovative and adventurous projects. One of its most ambitious attempts was Loon, which sought to provide internet using high-altitude balloons. However, after Loon became its own division within Alphabet, it was ultimately deemed unfeasible and shut down in 2021. Before that happened, an engineer from Loon transitioned to work on a new project called Taara, which focuses on delivering fast internet using laser beams—similar to how fiber optics work but without the cables.

This concept isn’t entirely new, but in recent years, the Taara team has been developing practical applications for it. Alphabet has now introduced a new chip that promises to enhance Taara’s technology, making it a strong contender for high-speed internet delivery. This new advancement could lead to an era where light transmits data more quickly than radio waves currently do.

Leading the development of Taara is Mahesh Krishnaswamy, former Loon engineer, who has been passionate about connectivity since he was a student in Chennai, India. He reminisces about how he had to visit the US embassy to use a computer back then, fueling his desire to help others gain internet access. After working at Apple and then Google, he became motivated to leverage light for internet connections, which ultimately led to him leaving Loon in 2016 to work on Taara.

One question arises: Who really needs this technology? During the 2010s, companies like Facebook and Google made efforts to connect millions of underserved users with projects similar to Loon. However, advancements in global internet access have since made those efforts seem less urgent. Notably, Elon Musk’s Starlink currently offers internet worldwide, and Amazon plans to launch a competitor called Kuiper.

Despite this progress, Krishnaswamy argues that the global connectivity crisis isn’t resolved. He points out that around 3 billion people are still without internet access. In many areas, including parts of the US, the internet speed is too slow for modern needs like streaming. Starlink, while useful, also faces limitations in densely populated areas, as users often have to share bandwidth, which can slow down their speeds. Taara, he claims, could offer significantly more bandwidth at a lower cost.

Over the years, the Taara team has improved how their technology works in real-life scenarios. Unlike satellites, Taara’s “light bridges” operate from the ground, similar in size to traffic lights. They can transmit data at speeds comparable to fiber-optic cables as long as they maintain a clear line of sight. The setup incorporates advanced technology to maintain stable connections despite obstacles like birds or bad weather, although fog can be a significant challenge.

Now, Taara is a commercial operation, already active in over a dozen countries. For instance, it successfully bridged the Congo River, providing affordable internet to Kinshasa, where internet costs used to be prohibitively high. At events like the Coachella music festival, Taara has helped enhance cellular networks under strain.

Mohamed-Slim Alouini, a professor who has researched optics for years, compares Taara to a top-of-the-line sports car—fast and reliable, but pricey. He noted that his latest setup cost around $30,000, but the next generation of Taara technology aims to reduce expenses while shrinking the equipment size.

The latest innovations will use a new silicon chip that simplifies the design of the light bridges by replacing bulky components with more compact circuitry. This transition could revolutionize data transmission, much like how we moved from tape drives to solid-state memory.

In the near future, Krishnaswamy and Teller believe Taara could dramatically improve internet access, particularly for isolated communities or areas affected by disasters. Their long-term vision is ambitious; they foresee a future where 6G might be the last generation to utilize conventional radio waves due to limits on the electromagnetic spectrum. As demand for reliable connectivity continues to increase, light could become the essential medium for the next wave of internet developments, potentially leading us into a new era of connectivity with a network of light-based systems.