Andhra Pradesh to buy new wireless internet technology from Alphabet X
Alphabet, Andhra Pradesh
While Andhra Pradesh is home to 53 million people, only 15 million were reported as high-speed internet subscribers as of last December
Andhra Pradesh state government is all set to buy Alphabet X's new Free Space Optical Communications (FSOC) technology which will provide high-speed wireless internet without laying cable.
The agreement will begin next year and involves installation of close to 2,000 boxes as far as 20 kilometres (12 miles) apart to provide faster internet connection to populated areas. The technology will be able to supply service to cellphone towers and Wi-Fi hotspots.
The technology will prove beneficial in areas where linking cellphone towers to a wired connection is expensive and difficult. X plans to have a small team based in Andhra Pradesh next year to help roll out the technology.
While Andhra Pradesh is home to 53 million people, only 15 million were reported as high-speed internet subscribers as of last December. The state wants to connect additional 12 million households by 2019, Alphabet said.
"X plans to deploy free space optical technology, which transmits data through light beams at up to 20 gigabits per second between the rooftop boxes. There would be enough bandwidth for thousands of people to browse the Web simultaneously through the same cellphone tower," reported Reuters.
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The agreement is an outgrowth of X's Project Loon, which on several occasions has beamed cellphone service to Earth from a network of large balloons. The balloons link directly to smartphones and are meant for rural areas with a low population density, according to X.
(With inputs from Reuters)