OVER-THE-AIR LASERS AIM TO SOLVE THE INTERNET'S “MIDDLE MILE”

Summary from the TLDR newsletter

Startup Taara has a simple alternative to fiber-optic cables for crossing cities and tough terrain: free-space optical lasers. Its technology can reliably deliver 20-gigabit-per-second bandwidth across distances up to 20 kilometers. The company is planning to create a smaller version that can point, track, send, and receive signals at tens of gigabits per second indoors at 60 meters, as well as outdoors at 1 kilometer. Its biggest challenge is weather, but the technology will usually work as long as the other side is visible.