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