Google moonshot factory graduate Taara aims for carrier-grade uptime with optical switching to fix high-speed wireless backhaul reliability.

Operators often face a logistical conflict: bandwidth demands require fibre speeds, but trenching in dense cities or rough terrain often makes laying cable economically unviable. 

Wireless optical communication, or Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC), has long offered an alternative. However, adoption in essential infrastructure often struggles against atmospheric interference.

Taara, a graduate of Google’s moonshot factory ‘X’ (no affiliation with that other X), announced Lightbridge Pro today to meet availability requirements for large operators and city-wide network providers.

Optical switching for reliability in hybrid networks

Turning dumb pipes into intelligent platforms requires consistent uptime. For wholesale carriers and TowerCos, offering service level agreements (SLAs) matching fibre is vital to support applications like private 5G. Lightbridge Pro uses the company’s existing wireless optical technology to deliver this continuity.

The solution pairs a 20 Gbps full-duplex connection with built-in switching. The hardware toggles between the optical link and a backup connection, such as radio frequency (RF) or fibre, depending on the weather.

Fog or heavy rain can impact optical performance. In architectures relying on external switches, moving to a backup line can take several seconds. Delays of that magnitude fail the requirements for real-time industrial applications or essential public sector infrastructure.

Lightbridge Pro integrates the switch directly into the system. This internal setup enables an automatic and hitless switchover to fibre or RF. Eliminating the delay maintains carrier-grade continuity.

Mahesh Krishnaswamy, Founder and CEO of Taara, said: “Lightbridge Pro proves that we can deploy fiber-grade capacity over the air with no digging, no delays—upgrading operators’ existing infrastructure in a matter of hours.”

For network architects, hardware viability often depends on management capabilities rather than raw throughput. Deploying unconnected systems requiring separate monitoring tools increases operational overhead.

Taara designed Lightbridge Pro for integration into carrier-grade networks, covering mobile backhaul, enterprise applications, and urban densification. The optical switching solution delivers comprehensive Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, and Security (FCAPS) management, and is available on-premise or on-cloud.

Integration with carrier Operations Support Systems (OSS) and Business Support Systems (BSS) helps operators incorporate wireless optical links into existing monitoring dashboards. Teams can increase capacity without re-architecting their networks. Features include inband management and combined monitoring of the multiband solution via an integrated switch.

Market validation and deployment of Taara Lightbridge

Standard Taara Lightbridge technology is deployed in more than 20 countries. Operators including T-Mobile, Airtel, Digicel, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, and SoftBank use the technology to extend capacity. Deployments span dense urban environments and remote terrain, bypassing the regulatory hurdles and costs associated with fibre builds.

Lightbridge Pro addresses one of the final barriers to broader carrier adoption by meeting high availability standards. Reliable operation allows the technology to serve as a primary link rather than solely as a capacity extender.

Taara will also soon announce a new photonics-based wireless optical system. This system delivers greater density and scalability, extending light-based connectivity beyond point-to-point links into distributed urban deployments.

Hitless switching in wireless optical links alters network expansion planning. High-capacity backhaul becomes possible where civil engineering is too costly, without sacrificing reliability. Organisations evaluating connectivity strategy should assess where wireless optical solutions can replace physical cabling.

The focus must remain on total cost of ownership and time-to-market. Technologies integrating with existing OSS/BSS stacks reduce adoption friction, letting IT teams manage hybrid networks through a single interface.

See also: Using AI to slash 5G emissions and hit ESG goals

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