Project Taara Beams Internet Connectivity Wirelessly At Fiber-Optic Speeds

Bringing broadband connectivity to unserved and underserved areas is very important. Internet connectivity brings access to jobs, healthcare, education, and entertainment. People who live in developed nations like the US and other countries typically have plenty of access to broadband in cities, but those in rural areas often go unserved. Project Taara is investigating wireless means to bring fiber-like speeds to underserved and unconnected communities around the world.

The Project Taara team has been working to bridge connectivity gaps worldwide using technology that's fast, affordable, and abundant in the form of optical communication links. Recently, the team worked with a company called Liquid Intelligent Technologies to bring connectivity to fill the gap between Brazzaville in the Republic of the Congo and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These two locations are separated by the Congo River, which is treacherous considering it's the world's deepest and second-fastest river.

The challenge of connecting these two cities was significant. The two cities are 4.8 kilometers apart, but broadband connectivity in Kinshasa is five times more expensive than in Brazzaville because fiber connectivity has to travel more than 400 kilometers to get around the river. Project Taara install links capable of beaming connectivity directly over the river and has transmitted nearly 700 terabytes of data since going live. That data was transferred over 20 days with 99.9 percent availability.

The Taara team is clear that they don't expect 100 percent reliability due to weather and other conditions. However, the company says its wireless link technology will deliver performance similar to fiber and is critical to bringing faster and cheaper broadband connectivity to 17 million people living in the cities. The wireless technology uses narrow and invisible beams of light to deliver fiber-like speeds.