For months, communications carriers and equipment makers have tested new technologies, known as "free-space" lasers or sometimes "optical wireless," to deliver high-speed network connections to business customers. Until recently the technology has been relegated to white board theories, research and development labs and trial projects.
Now start-ups Terabeam, a Seattle-based laser service provider, and FSONA Communications, a laser equipment maker, are set to announce for the first time the commercial availability of their products and services within the next week.
"It's becoming apparent that this stuff is ready for primetime," said Jeff Kagan, an independent Atlanta-based communications industry analyst. "Now it's time for the pressure test by bringing it to market and signing up customers and seeing if it works.
"I can't imagine it's going to be a flawless rollout. Every new technology has its problems," Kagan said. "(But) if it works, it's poised to be a huge hit."
Using invisible lasers that are harmless to the human eye, the technology allows high-speed Internet access and corporate network connections to be beamed to business customers through an office window. Laser boosters tout the technology as faster than competing wireless systems and cheaper than direct fibre-optic connections, which require digging up city streets.
The lasers aim to solve a significant problem facing the communications industry. Massive high-capacity nationwide networks are being completed, but the networks in metropolitan areas are only just beginning to be built and upgraded. Therefore, business customers often must wait months for a connection to provide them with Internet access or a link to a remote office.
But the laser technology is not a sure-fire hit. For one, it is susceptible to outages from thick fog, which can interfere with a laser's path and could limit its reliability. And analysts say the laser sector will face challenges such as a skeptical marketplace and a limited window of opportunity before competing technologies such as fixed wireless and direct fiber-optic connections take hold.
