Light Beams Bring Fiber-Speed Internet in Hours, Not Months

Imagine installing internet as fast as fiber without digging a single trench or waiting months for permits. That's exactly what Taara, a company born from Google's experimental projects, just made possible with their new Taara Beam technology.

The shoebox-sized device mounts on streetlights or rooftops and shoots invisible beams of light to deliver blazing-fast 25Gbps internet speeds. It works up to six miles away, connecting entire neighborhoods in the time it takes most cable companies to schedule your installation appointment.

Taara spun out of Alphabet's innovation lab last year, and their technology is already changing lives in over 20 countries. Companies like T-Mobile and Airtel use their systems to connect communities separated by water and mountains, bringing reliable internet to places where laying cables was impossible or too expensive.

The new Beam version targets cities, where it can leap between buildings faster than you can say "construction permit." Unlike satellite internet, which bounces signals to space and back, Taara's light beams travel in a straight line with almost zero delay. That makes video calls crystal clear and online gaming actually playable.

The technology shines brightest in two emerging areas. Electric delivery vans and self-driving cars can now dump terabytes of sensor data in minutes when they stop to charge, instead of clogging cellular networks. Cities are also using Beam to create mesh networks at intersections, helping vehicles talk to traffic lights and each other to prevent accidents.

The Ripple Effect

What started as a moonshot experiment is now connecting the unconnected at speeds that rival the best traditional infrastructure. When internet arrives in hours instead of months, small businesses can launch faster, students can access online learning sooner, and entire communities leapfrog outdated technology.

The real beauty lies in the simplicity. At less than 20 pounds and using about as much power as a laptop, these devices prove that sometimes the most advanced solutions are also the most elegant.

Cities worldwide are taking notice as Taara unveils the technology at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week. For places still waiting for their fiber future, the answer might not come from underground cables but from invisible beams of light overhead.