olee.space, a photonics firm from India, has recently demonstrated a wireless laser communication system that has a range of 20 km at a data transmission rate of 10 Gbps, and it makes use of around 85 percent indigenous components. This is a demonstration of how this firm and possibly other similar outfits can offer long-range and high-capacity wireless communication for defense systems. It has a highly precise gimbal that is locally produced and is accurate in pointing.
The CEO stresses self-reliance and readiness for operation:
Commenting on the achievement, James Solomon, Founder & CEO of olee.space, said: “It is a major achievement to have a 20 km and 10 Gbps wireless optical link with carrier-class availability in the Indian operating environment. It proves the capability of the Indian industry to design, develop, and test sophisticated Wireless Laser Communication systems through mainly domestic technologies. We are committed to providing a safe and high-reliability communication solution for various operating situations.”
Carrier grade quality for critical missions:
The system also demonstrated a carrier-grade link availability of 99.9999 percent during the validation phase. This meets the requirement of the mission-critical communication requirement. Wireless Laser Communication provides an advantage of frequency independence, low interception probability, and immunity to jamming. These advantages of the technology qualify it for military use. Development of the technology in just four months exemplifies the development of the private military manufacturing sector in the Indian economy.
Adaptable architecture for different operation environments:
The architecture design is versatile to be used even in different operation domains like land, maritime, aerial, high altitude, and future space-based communications. It helps enable a secure, high-rate communication process even in a cluttered RF spectrum, along with electronic interference and GPS denial. It further upgrades the nation’s self-reliance in the latest wireless communications by less import dependence on the optical communication subsystem.
