“Light-based internet project Taara is exiting Alphabet’s ‘moonshot’ incubator X, spinning off into an independent company. Taara’s tech uses lasers to transmit data, and is envisaged as a rival to Elon Musk’s Starlink…

Taara’s current tech involves firing a narrow beam of light from one traffic light-sized terminal to another, with transmission of up to 20 gigabits per second over 20km (almost 12.5 miles) distances. The terminals can be mounted on towers, and are quicker and cheaper to install than laying fiber — especially when you need a signal to reach an island, cross a river, or arrive at some otherwise hard-to-reach location. Last month the company announced that it has condensed its tech into a much more compact chip, which it expects to launch in a product in 2026.

While Taara’s tower-based optical technology works differently to Starlink’s satellites, it’s setting itself up as a rival in the business of connecting rural areas.”

From The Verge.