U.S. Rural Areas to Use Laser Broadband with 2Gbps Speeds
In rural areas of the United States, as well as vast regions in African countries, sparse populations make the cost of providing broadband services extremely high. According to the U.S. technology news website TechnologyReview, several U.S. telecom operators are conducting trials to replace traditional fiber optics with advanced laser and millimeter-wave technology, thereby achieving broadband coverage in sparsely populated areas.
More and more consumers are accessing the internet through mobile data networks. Although the "last mile" has gone wireless, mobile operators still need to connect these base stations to the internet via wired means such as fiber optics or telephone lines, which incurs significant costs for operators. Backbone networks
It is reported that three U.S. telecom operators are testing a laser broadband technology. The equipment utilizes laser and millimeter-wave technology, with a maximum transmission distance of ten kilometers and speeds of 2Gbps, equivalent to twice the speed of Google Fiber broadband service.
In addition to the United States, operators in Mexico and the African country of Nigeria are also deploying laser broadband technology.
The inventor of this technology is AOptix, which believes that laser communication technology will become an ideal substitute for fiber optics. As is well known, besides the extremely high cost of laying fiber in rural areas, the cost of trenching and laying fiber in densely populated urban areas is also very high.
Data shows that in downtown New York, the cost of laying one kilometer of optical cable is as high as $800,000.
A senior executive at the company pointed out that laser broadband technology is particularly significant for mobile operators. Today's mobile users have a strong demand for accessing the internet via mobile base stations. Facing market growth, mobile operators are upgrading the copper telephone lines connecting mobile base stations to fiber optics, thereby improving subsequent network speeds at the base stations.
The aforementioned communication links based on laser and millimeter-wave technology have a single transmission distance of 10 kilometers, but the transmission distance can be extended through relay.
It is reported that in Mexico, the country's mobile operator Car-sa recently began using laser broadband to connect mobile base stations, thereby providing high-speed mobile broadband services to nearby enterprises.
