CONNECTING THE KINGDOM THROUGH HIGH-SPEED AIR FIBER

KAUST and Alphabet’s Project Taara test cost-effective ways to bring high-speed connectivity to remote and marine areas

Island, two kilometers away. This was the first use of Project Taara’s FSO technology for maritime communication. It was supported by Saudi Arabia-based telecommunications company Rockvale and approved by the Kingdom’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission.

The recent success of the trial is expected to lead to the rollout of affordable high-speed internet access in last-mile locations, including remote settlements across the Kingdom. It also aligns with Saudi Arabia’s coastal tourism and development plans. More specifically, FSO pilot deployments are planned in the coming months in the Red Sea Global and NEOM areas.

While the initial KAUST trial has shown great progress, some deployment challenges still need to be overcome. FSO uses lasers to deliver high speeds at a low cost, but, unlike FO, which is protected by cables, FSO is exposed to the atmosphere. To address this issue, the KAUST team is installing weather stations at the pilot sites to monitor and test this technology throughout the coming year. The equipment will assess how different weather conditions might affect system performance, accounting for variables such as duration, distance and outages. The data will be used to refine the system to deploy it more broadly and permanently to other areas across the Kingdom.