Wireless Networks

PLDT deploys Google Taara’s free-space optics in three remote areas

PLDT deploys Google Taara’s free-space optics in three remote areas

PLDT announced on Tuesday it has deployed free-space optics technology from Google Taara in three remote locations in the Philippines as an alternative to terrestrial and subsea fibre optic cables.

Developed by Alphabet’s X Moonshot Factory and spun off into a commercial company in March this year, Google Taara is a free-space optics solution that uses beams of light to transmit data across long distances – similar to fibre but without the physical cable. Each site is capable of delivering up to 20 Gbps of capacity.

PLDT said it has deployed Taara equipment at Talim Island in Rizal, Dipaluda in Isabela and Bagong Pag-asa QC.

On Talim Island, the technology spans an 11.8-km stretch across Laguna de Bay, linking the island to the mainland. The Taara system in Dipaluda covers 13 km of mountainous terrain. Meanwhile the Taara system in Bagong Pag-asa QC will provide an alternative route and resolve single-point-of -failure issues.

PLDT’s COO and head of network Butch Jimenez said the Taara solutions not only deliver super-fast connectivity to those areas, it also saves a lot of money on rollout costs. Connecting Talim Island, for example, would require deploying a subsea cable, while Dipaluda is challenging terrain for fibre rollouts with rivers and mountains.

“This is a game-changer for us in connecting remote areas,” said Jimenez. “It makes it easier to provide fibre-like internet to new areas.”

Erick Santiago, head of network strategy at PLDT-Smart, said the telco plans to explore laser-based connectivity further to complement its fibre network, especially in hard-to-reach areas.

“We’ve evaluated this technology for over a year,” Santiago said.

The PLDT deployment is the latest win for Taara, which has been deployed sporadically over the past five years even when it was still part of X Moonshot.

In 2020, for example, Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory formed a partnership with Econet and its subsidiaries, Liquid Telecom and Econet Group, to deploy Taara across their networks in Sub-Saharan Africa, starting in Kenya. The following year, Liquid Intelligent Technologies deployed the technology across the Congo River to connect Brazzaville in the Republic of the Congo and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In June 2022, Digicel deployed Taara’s technology in Fiji and Tonga. A year later, Alphabet signed a partnership deal with Bharti Airtel to deploying Taara gear across its network in rural and urban areas. The same year, Liberty Networks deployed the solution to connect St. Martin and Anguilla during a cable outage.



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