Google’s controller Alphabet announced the spin-off From Taara, laser -based internet startup, aiming to expand connectivity to remote regions and compete with Starlink by Elon Musk. The company’s technology allows data transmission by high -speed light beams, eliminating the need for extensive physical infrastructure.
Taara is the result of Google x Monyot, Alphabet’s innovation laboratory that has already generated projects like Waymo, from autonomous cars. The technology was initially conceived in the Loon project, which used balloons to bring internet to remote regions, but faced regulatory and operational challenges and ended in 2021.
How does it work?
The Taara system works by firing a beam of light the size of a pencil between terminals the size of a traffic light. These beams reach a 1.5 inch receiver, allowing data transmission to 20 Gbps at distances up to 20 km. This approach promises to extend fiber optic networks at reduced costs and without the need for complex works.
Unlike Starlink, which operates a network of satellites and sells direct consumer connections, Taara adopts a partnership model with major telecommunications operators such as Bharti Airtel and T-Mobile. This allows the expansion of coverage in hard -to -reach places and supplementation of congested networks in dense urban areas.
Global expansion
Startup is already present in 12 countries, including India and parts of Africa. One of his most ambitious projects connects Brazzaville and Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, reducing internet costs in the region. In addition, the technology was used to reinforce mobile networks during major events such as the Coachella Festival in the US. There is still no forecast for operation in Brazil.
Alphabet will maintain a minority participation in Taara, which received investments from Series x Capital. Startup is in the growth phase and seeks new hiring to accelerate its expansion. One of the company’s future goals is to develop a photonic silicon chip to reduce the need for lens and mirrors in its terminals, allowing multiple simultaneous connections and the creation of LIFI networks (Internet via light) in offices and urban environments.
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Advantages about Starlink
Eric “Astro” Teller, director of Google X Moonshot, believes Taara has significant competitive advantages about Starlink. While Spacex satellites use radio signs, which can be congestion in areas with many users, Taara’s laser beams do not face this problem and can be installed quickly on posts, buildings and trees.
In addition, technology does not require bids for radio frequency spectrum acquisition and can be cast without the need for spatial launches. “If you can be the first company to move data via Luz, when the whole world migrates to this spectrum, Taara will be in a privileged position,” said Teller.
Engineer Mahesh Krishishash, Taara’s general manager, stresses that there is room for more than one market connectivity model. “There are still 3 billion people without internet. There is a lot of room for Starlink and us, ”he said.
