Taara Beam provides 25Gbps connectivity over invisible beams of light
#Taara Beam#25Gbps connectivity#Light-based internet#Alphabet moonshot#Low latency#Middle-mile infrastructure#V2X communications#Mobile World Congress
📌 Key Takeaways
Taara Beam provides 25Gbps connectivity using invisible light beams within cities
The device can be deployed quickly and rivals fiber in speed while consuming minimal power
It offers ultra-low latency better than satellite solutions
Designed for enterprises and telcos, not consumers, for middle-mile infrastructure
Will be showcased at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona
📖 Full Retelling
Light-based internet provider Taara, which spun out of Alphabet's 'moonshot' incubator last year, launched Taara Beam on February 23, 2026, to provide 25Gbps connectivity within cities over invisible beams of light, addressing the need for high-speed middle-mile infrastructure for enterprises and telcos. The shoebox-sized device can be mounted to street poles and rooftops for city-wide connectivity at distances up to 10km, weighing just 8kg and consuming approximately 90W of power. Unlike Taara's previous Lightbridge product designed to connect communities separated by natural barriers at distances up to 20km, the new Beam is optimized for urban environments where line of sight is available. Taara's main advantage is speed, rivaling fiber in throughput while offering deployment in just hours—significantly faster than securing radio spectrum or trenching cables. While this positions Taara as a competitor to services like Starlink, its ultra-low latency of less than 100 microseconds surpasses any space-based solution. The company has already deployed Lightbridge to major carriers like T-Mobile and Airtel across more than 20 countries and reports 'significant interest' in two primary use cases for Beam: offloading terabytes of LiDAR and sensor data from electric vehicles during charging, and creating high-speed mesh networks for low-latency Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communications at city intersections.
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Deep Analysis
Why It Matters
Taara Beam provides fiber-like internet speeds without the need for costly and time-consuming cable installation, enabling rapid deployment of high-capacity urban networks. Its ultra-low latency makes it particularly valuable for critical applications like autonomous vehicle communications and data-intensive enterprise use cases.
Context & Background
Taara spun out of Alphabet's X 'moonshot' incubator last year
Previous product Taara Lightbridge connects communities over distances up to 20km
Taara Beam is designed for shorter-range urban connectivity up to 10km
The technology uses invisible light beams for high-speed data transmission
Already deployed in over 20 countries through partnerships with telcos like T-Mobile
What Happens Next
Taara Beam will be showcased at Mobile World Congress starting next week in Barcelona, where potential customers can see demonstrations. The company expects significant interest from enterprises and telecommunications providers looking to deploy the technology for specific use cases like EV data offloading and V2X communications.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Taara Beam?
Taara Beam is a shoebox-sized device that provides 25Gbps internet connectivity using invisible beams of light for urban areas.
How does Taara Beam differ from Starlink?
Taara Beam offers much lower latency (under 100 microseconds) than satellite internet and is designed for terrestrial urban connectivity rather than global coverage.
Who is the target market for Taara Beam?
The technology is designed for enterprises and telecommunications companies needing middle-mile infrastructure, not direct consumer use.
What are the main advantages of Taara Beam?
Key advantages include fiber-like speeds, rapid deployment without cable trenching, and ultra-low latency suitable for time-sensitive applications.
Original Source
Tech News MWC 2026 Taara Beam provides 25Gbps connectivity over invisible beams of light Low latency, too. Low latency, too. by Thomas Ricker Feb 23, 2026, 11:00 AM UTC Taara Beam mounted to a pole for line of sight connectivity. Image: Taara Thomas Ricker is a deputy editor and Verge co-founder with a passion for human-centric cities, e-bikes, and life as a digital nomad. He’s been a tech journalist for 20 years. Light-based internet provider Taara, which spun out of Alphabet’s “moonshot” incubator last year, just launched Taara Beam to provide 25Gbps connectivity within cities over invisible beams of light — line of sight permitting. Unlike last year’s Taara Lightbridge, which connects communities separated by water and mountains at distances up to 20km (over 12 miles), the shoebox-sized Beam can be mounted to street poles and roof tops for city-wide connectivity at distances up to 10km. The 8kg (less than 20 pounds) device typically consumes about 90W. Taara’s big advantage is speed. It rivals fiber in terms of throughput and can also be deployed in just hours — much faster than having to secure radio spectrum or trench cables. That puts it into competition with services like Starlink. But Taara’s ultra-low latency (less than 100μs) is far better than any space-based solution. Taara Beam, however, isn’t for consumers, it’s designed for enterprises and telcos that require “middle-mile” infrastructure. Lightbridge has already been deployed by the likes of T-Mobile and Airtel in over 20 countries, and Taara says it’s seeing “significant interest” in a couple of use cases for Taara Beam. One is to offload terabytes of LiDAR and sensor data from electric vehicles like delivery vans and robotaxis when they park for charging. Another is to create high-speed mesh networks that connect city intersections in support of low-latency V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communications. Taara Beam is have its big coming out party at Mobile World Congress starting next week in Barcelona...
