Alphabet Delivers Wireless Internet Over Light Beams From 20km Away

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Sources: Ars Technica, Medium

Alphabet will soon deliver wireless Internet over light beams in Kenya using a technology that can cover distances of up to 20km. Alphabet's Project Taara, unveiled under a different name in 2017, conducted a series of pilots in Kenya last year and is now partnering with a telecom company to deliver Internet access in remote parts of Africa.

Kenya will get the technology first, with other countries in sub-Saharan Africa to follow.

The technology is called "free space optical communication," and it works exactly the way it sounds: you aim two light beams at each other and communicate through blinking. "Free space" means you're not using any cable at all and are just communicating through the air over line of sight. Typically this is done with lasers, although for shorter distances it's possible to use LEDs.

Alphabet's rollout in India will involve fitting "2,000 boxes installed as far as 20 kilometers (12 miles) apart on posts and roofs". The optical system is expected to hit 20 Gbit/s from box to box and would serve as a backbone, replacing more expensive technologies like fiber optics. The final connection to users would happen over Wi-Fi or cellular.

 

[The.Black.Templar]

Ferkers, wapeleke hii technology huko kwao America, we are doing just fine, and FUAK Unye for allowing such 'technology' to be tested here in Kenya without any due diligence of the effects it will have to people....mbona wasifanye huko America ocha kwao Texas? bure kabisa

 

[Meria]

My digital consultant @AU5 hebu kuja disect this into bits ndio fossil kaa Mimi aelewe

 

[shocks]

Damn, in future internet connection haitakuwa shida wherever you are. Hii sasa inakaa they will not even need freqency allocation from CAK. This coupled with what starlink and the chinese are trying willbring cheap internet to the masses

 

[Meria]

Damn, in future internet connection haitakuwa shida wherever you are. Hii sasa inakaa they will not even need freqency allocation from CAK. This coupled with what starlink and the chinese are trying willbring cheap internet to the masses

Tutaweza kuiba?
Swali kuu

 

[Tommy Kwesule]

Internet connection should be treated as a basic necessity in these times we a living. I welcome any advances made in relation to that...

 

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Tutaweza kuiba?
Swali kuu

Siku hizi most data transfer hutumia end-to-end encryption. So hata ukiweka transceiver yako hapo katikati ku-intercept hiyo light to send your own signals for free, it's very likely the receiving transceiver will detect something is wrong. Labda uweke ku-eavesdrop but it's encrypted. Unless you are very knowledgeable in data encryption and have access to expensive equipment, itakuwa to christmas lights to you.

 

[Ekiarambe]

Pale Ulaya, Stratospheric Platforms have announced plans to beam high-speed 5G signals to the public via antenna-equipped, hydrogen-powered unmanned aircrafts. Wanasema it's cheaper than terrestrial transmitters.

 

[Afro]

My digital consultant @AU5 hebu kuja disect this into bits ndio fossil kaa Mimi aelewe

Mimi ujuzi wangu umefika UHF/VHF aerial ya tv. Anything beyond that is greek

 

[Meria]

Mimi ujuzi wangu umefika UHF/VHF aerial ya tv. Anything beyond that is greek

Waja wewe

 

[Aviator]

Line of sight? So if a bird perches on the eye, internet kaput

 

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Line of sight? So if a bird perches on the eye, internet kaput

Yep. Easily solved by neighbourhood kids armed with catapult and sharp aim. Pesky birds have been recorded destroying 5G antennas etc.

In any case, I think the mast is too high for insects and birds.

 

[bigDog]

Ferkers, wapeleke hii technology huko kwao America, we are doing just fine, and FUAK Unye for allowing such 'technology' to be tested here in Kenya without any due diligence of the effects it will have to people....mbona wasifanye huko America ocha kwao Texas? bure kabisa

Flame bait! Kaeni mbali!

 

[Meria]

Yep. Easily solved by neighbourhood kids armed with catapult and sharp aim. Pesky birds have been recorded destroying 5G antennas etc.

In any case, I think the mast is too high for insects and birds.

When is the last time you saw the little madafakas with catapults.
They all are indoors with their PS or phones
Thumb generation is what they are

 

[Baz]

Online jobs, schools and work from home will drive the demand for internet

 

[Nefertities]

Sounds like a move backward towards VL and wimax ... also known as "cannot have bandwidth larger than a certain amount" or "kaa kwa fiber tu".