From ancient beacon fires and signal mirrors to the fiber-optic cables of the last half-century, light has always been our ultimate messenger of information.

Now, we are approaching a historic shift in global communications. The relentless pace of innovation, combined with a surge in data demand fueled by artificial intelligence (AI), means that machine-to-machine communication is on track to outpace people as the primary flow of information by 2027.

In a world demanding more data, faster speeds, and higher capacity, can we deliver for less?

Light, bypassing the limits of physical infrastructure

Every fiber optic cable carries data as pulses of light traveling through strands of glass. Fiber forms the backbone of today's internet. Yet in the modern day U.S., using light to communicate information requires us to physically lay and bury fiber, costing up to $264,000 per mile. Labor alone drives more than 70% of this cost, and securing right of way permits can consume months, if not years. While fiber has revolutionized global connectivity, deploying more of it still means digging trenches, securing permits, and laying physical infrastructure. What if that same light could travel through free space instead?


For nearly a decade of research and development at X, Google’s Moonshot Factory, the Taara team, too, has pushed the limits of light. Taara’s wireless optical communication (WOC) unwraps the same frequency of light inside fiber optic cables, and simply beams it over the air, bypassing the limits of physical infrastructure. No cables, no trenching, no permitting challenges.

Wireless optics delivers high-speed connectivity where fiber can't reach fast enough: beyond mountains, across rivers, through vast terrain – bridging the several kilometers that unlock access to the fiber backbone of the digital infrastructure. Best of all, beaming light over the air costs about 10% the cost of burying fiber.

Breaking down the cost of moving data

In collaboration with GSMA Intelligence and operators around the world, we are launching the Taara Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Calculator. The tool is designed to help network operators evaluate the cost of deploying connectivity infrastructure across a range of scenarios.

Where fiber is time and cost prohibitive, wireless solutions are often simpler, easier, and faster to deploy. But in dense urban environments or rural areas where data demand is concentrated, traditional wireless radios may not adequately advance both the capacity and range of data transmission. Wireless optical communication then becomes an interesting tool in the toolbox.


The TCO calculator allows operators to compare the TCO of fiber, wireless radio, and wireless optics, exploring deployment assumptions in different network scenarios, and assessing how their technology choices affect their network economics over up to 10 years in various global geographies. The results are broken down in standard metrics operators use to evaluate the benefits of different technology options, including cost per gigabyte of data delivered per kilometer.

Figure 1. A TCO comparison of wireless optical communication, radio, and fiber

Abundance versus scarcity: a vision for a better infrastructure

There is no single technology that is suited to solve the connectivity challenge in every deployment scenario. Operators require a broader mix of solutions to balance capacity, coverage, and cost. Taara TCO Calculator gives operators a practical way to compare all of these technologies in real-world deployment scenarios and make better-informed decisions about how they build and scale their networks. A sample analysis below highlights the growing viability of wireless optical communications, as a critical bridge between traditional fiber and radio.

Figure 2. A sample output for assessing the TCO of a 12 km link in the rural U.S., where fiber may route hundreds of kilometers due to geographical barriers.

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From the start, Taara has focused on partnering with operators to help them evolve and stay adaptable to make connectivity abundant and affordable for all – bridging gaps in high-speed connectivity to communities with growing data demand. As next-generation networks emerge, we will continue expanding our solutions for the innovators building tomorrow’s foundational infrastructure – from data centers and commercial corridors to the smart cities of the future.

Explore the economic impact of your next-generation networks now. Get started with Taara TCO Calculator, available at taaraconnect.com/tco-calculator.