Skip to main content

Laser-Delivered Internet Could be a Game Changer for Millions of Indian Citizens

Robots & Machines

Laser-Delivered Internet Could be a Game Changer for Millions of Indian Citizens

 Creative Commons
IN BRIEF
Across India, there are large gaps in broadband internet access. A new effort by a telecom company and X, a subsidiary of Alphabet, will hopefully deliver internet to millions more using lasers.

LASER INTERNET

In Andhra Pradesh, a southeast state in India, a subsidiary of Alphabet called simply “X” might soon be delivering the internet with lasers. According to the company, they aim to provide “fiber optic cable, but without the cable.” The technology that makes this all happen is called free space optical communications (FSOC) technology.
To accomplish this ambitious task, X will work with AP State FiberNet, a telecom company owned entirely by the Andhra Pradesh government. X will create two thousand FSOC links, which use beams of laser light instead of traditional cables to deliver the internet over long distances. While it may seem dicey, this method is capable of being equally reliable and potentially superior to cabled delivery.
A hand scrolls down the screen of a tablet, with a computer in the background. Laser internet delivery could bring this level of access to everyone.
(Image Credit: fancycrave1/Pixabay)
Baris Erkman, FSOC lead at X, stated in a Medium post that “because there’s no cable, this means there’s none of the time, cost, and hassle involved in digging trenches or stringing cable along poles. FSOC boxes can simply be placed kilometers apart on roofs or towers, with the signal beamed directly between the boxes to easily traverse common obstacles like rivers, roads and railways.”

A CHANGING INTERNET

Andhra Pradesh is currently home to Hyderabad, one of India’s most influential tech cities. Within the state there is some of the cheapest broadbandaccess that exists globally; however, there are still many areas throughout India that are without regular internet access, and an estimated 900 million people are still without regular broadband access. As the UN now classifies internet access as a human right, many are working to increase access. This need will only grow as, in 2024, Hyderabad will no longer be a part of Andhra Pradesh due to the creation of a new state, which will lower connectivity and access.
The state hopes that, with the introduction of laser delivery technology and the adoption of cable-less internet, 12 million households and thousands of government organizations and businesses will have broadband internet by 2019.
This development signals two things. First, it shows how states and governments are taking more serious actions to increase broadband access around the world. Secondly, it shows how rapidly internet delivery technology is evolving. Fiber optic cables might have seemed like an ideal method a few years ago, but laser internet could be the next standard of access.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Advanced Transport Virgin Hyperloop One’s System JusElon Musk’s Speed Reco   SpaceX IN BRIEF In a recent test, Virgin Hyperloop One's system beat all previous speed records, hitting nearly 387 kilometers per hour (240 miles per hour). With Richard Branson now in their corner, the company could dominate the future of hyperloop transportation. HYPERLOOP SPEED RECORD On December 18,  Virgin Hyperloop One announced the completion of third phase testing on the  DevLoop , the world’s first full-scale hyperloop test site. During these tests, the system clocked a lightning-fast speed of nearly 387 kmh (240 mph), breaking the 355 kmh (220 mph) hyperloop speed record set by  Elon Musk’s hyperloop  in August. Click to View Full Infographic During this phase of testing, the company experimented with using a new airlock that helps test pods transition between atmospheric and vacuum conditions. By combining magnetic levitation, extremely ...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Web Company Is Offering to Pay Their Employees’ Salaries in Bitcoin

Future Society A Web Company Is Offering to Pay Their Employees’ Salaries in Bitcoin   Pixabay IN BRIEF A Japanese web hosting company will begin offering their employees the option of receiving part of their salaries in the form of bitcoin. Starting in February, workers can opt to receive between 1,000 yen ($88) and 100,000 yen ($890) of their paychecks in the popular cryptocurrency. BITCOIN AT WORK GMO Internet , a Japanese web hosting company, has  just offered  to pay a portion of their employees’ salaries in bitcoin. The shift is entirely optional, and the company is offering a range of entry points into the initiative. Starting in February, some workers will have the option of receiving as little as 10,000 yen (around $88) or as much as 100,000 yen (around $890) of their salaries in bitcoin. The offer will eventually expand to all of the company’s more than 4,000 employees. Image credit: Antana/Flickr In May, GMO I...
Post a Comment
Read more

MIT Engineers Develop Glowing Plants Using Nanoparticles

MIT Engineers Develop Glowing Plants Using Nanoparticles   MIT/YouTube IN BRIEF The project is part of a new research sector: plant nanobionics, which uses nanoparticles to give plants unique and naturally un-plantlike features and abilities. GLOWING PLANTS What if, as the sun went down, the unassuming plants in your windowsill began to glow, lighting up the space around them like tiny botanical lamps? Thanks to recent  innovations by engineers at MIT , these living lamps could soon become a reality. The team of researchers embedded specially designed nanoparticles into the leaves of a watercress plant, lead by Michael Strano, the Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT, and MIT postdoc Seon-Yeong Kwak — senior and lead authors on the study, respectively. The introduction of the nanoparticles caused the plants to give off a dim light, glowing for almost four full hours. While this might seem like a relatively minor ac...
Post a Comment
Read more