Laser internet: Connecting rural areas with Taara

DW (English)

About one third of the world’s population does not have internet access. Can laser internet help close this digital gap?

Transcript

00:00Affordable, high-speed internet for rural or hard-to-reach areas via laser beam.

00:06That's what Tara promises.

00:08The project started as an experiment by Google's parent company Alphabet.

00:13Now, Tara is becoming an independent enterprise.

00:17Some see the tech rivaling Elon Musk's satellite internet company Starlink

00:22when it comes to connecting rural areas.

00:25Internet via laser? How's that supposed to work?

00:28And what's in it for you?

00:31Simply put, laser connectivity works similarly to fiber optic cables.

00:36Normally, data is transmitted through the cables,

00:39traveling from a server to an internet provider, for example.

00:43From there, the data reaches users either via more cables or through cellular towers.

00:49Instead of cables, Tara uses very narrow laser beams, about as thick as a pencil.

00:55They are sent via so-called light bridges, terminals the size of a traffic light.

01:00Other than our thumbnail suggests, the beams are invisible.

01:04We just wanted to visualize what we are talking about.

01:08The devices use small mirrors to precisely adjust the beam of light.

01:13According to Tara, this technology can bridge up to 20 kilometers,

01:17reaching speeds of up to 20 gigabits per second.

01:21To cover 100 kilometers, for example, you'd need six towers with Tara light bridges.

01:27Internet via laser is not new.

01:30Tara is the direct successor of another Google X project, Loon.

01:34From the late 2000s until 2021,

01:37researchers tried to provide internet to remote areas using fleets of balloons,

01:42interconnected by laser beams.

01:45The balloon concept was discontinued,

01:47but the laser technology was further developed and is now being used in the Tara project.

01:53All right, but why do we need that?

01:55In 2024, an estimated 2.6 billion people had no access to the internet.

02:01That's about one third of the world's population.

02:04One main reason?

02:06Internet providers don't want to spend a lot of money on infrastructure to reach remote areas.

02:12Now, without having to lay or install kilometers of fiber cables,

02:16Tara offers a cheaper alternative.

02:19One example.

02:20In 2023, an undersea cable network connecting several Caribbean islands was damaged.

02:26An internet provider used Tara's technology to link the island of Anguilla with nearby St. Martin,

02:3218 kilometers away.

02:34This reconnected 11,500 people in Anguilla to the internet.

02:39Another use case?

02:40Tara can amplify connectivity at big events.

02:44This was already successfully tested at the famous Coachella Festival in the US.

02:49By the way, Elon Musk's enterprise Starlink also offers laser internet,

02:54but via interconnected satellites whose signals can be received on Earth with special antennas.

03:00How do the two systems compare?

03:03Tara has one big advantage.

03:05It's much, much cheaper than Starlink.

03:07Starlink has also faced criticism over space junk.

03:11Right now, there are more than 7,000 Starlink satellites in orbit,

03:15potentially posing a threat to space travel.

03:18Another issue is bandwidth and speed.

03:21When Starlink satellites surf densely populated areas, the internet connection can slow down.

03:27Tara claims to provide much greater bandwidth than Starlink.

03:31How valid that statement is remains to be seen.

03:34However, it takes some time to install Tara connections over longer distances.

03:40Starlink satellites already cover large parts of the Earth.

03:43And Tara doesn't work everywhere.

03:46The laser beams can be disturbed by fog, for example,

03:49making it unsuitable for a city like San Francisco.

03:52Tara's developers say they have technology that can compensate for short interruptions like passing birds,

03:58but they acknowledge they can't operate perfectly everywhere.

04:02A coverage map has been released.

04:04Red means conditions are good.

04:07But there's another catch concerning both systems.

04:10For now, Google only holds a minority stake in Tara.

04:14But the company remains crucial as Tara expands.

04:18And Starlink is owned by the richest guy in the world.

04:21Elon Musk's company is unrivaled at the moment.

04:24Relying on big tech for internet connectivity could have long-term downsides.

04:29If one provider gains a monopoly, service quality could decline while prices go up.

04:34How's connectivity where you live?

04:36In case you need a better connection, which system would you rather use?

04:40Let us know.

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