India will deploy two thousand Google laser internet links for highspeed network backbone
“To make Project Loon a reality, Google had to figure out how to send data reliably between balloons flying on the stratospheric winds. One solution, first proved out by sending a copy of the film Real Genius across more than 100 kilometers between balloons, was Free Space Optical Communications, aka FSOC, technology. After seeing these results in the stratosphere we wondered if it would be possible to apply some of that science closer to earth to help us solve other connectivity challenges.
FSOC links use beams of light to deliver high-speed, high-capacity connectivity over long distances — just like fiber optic cable, but without the cable. And 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.
For the last few months, a small group from Google — some of us from the Loon team and some of us who’ve worked on various connectivity-related technologies over the years — have been piloting a new approach with FSOC links. They have been working with AP State FiberNet, a telecom company in Andhra Pradesh, a state in India which is home to more than 53 million people. Less than 20% of residents currently have access to broadband connectivity, so the state government has committed to connecting 12 million households and thousands of government organizations and businesses by 2019 — an initiative called AP Fiber Grid…”
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I’d love to see more of this in America! The tech seems simple enough to set up, even for nascent ISPs created by communities.
Samuel Smith Oh it’ll come. Sooner than we think. Especially with net neutrality laws rescinded, this could be the kick in the gotcha for Google’s Loon and Tesla’s internet satellite system to give us free unrestricted internet. After all, their very business models depend on as many people as possible having open access. Not to mention all the community and city-provided broadband solutions starting to crop up. The cable company ISPs just signed their death knell last week.