Aalyria is building a mesh network of laser links to quickly transmit data across land, air, sea, and space. The sea-based piece of that plan is about to get a boost.
Yesterday, the DC-based laser comms networking company announced that it signed an MoU with HICO Investment Group, which focuses investment in shipping and logistics companies. Under the agreement, Aalyria will deploy up to 200 of its Tightbeam laser terminals aboard ships in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean.
Meshing well: Aalyria emerged from stealth last year with a trove of IP acquired from Alphabet and a plan to revolutionize connectivity. The company has two products:
- Tightbeam, a laser terminal that can transmit 100 Gbps per wavelength in both directions simultaneously. The terminal can attach to terrestrial, maritime, airborne, and space platforms.
- Spacetime, a network orchestration software that charts the most efficient route for a piece of data over large networks. The company has a contract with Rivada Space Networks to orchestrate communication over its planned 600-bird constellation.
Aalyria’s approach to laser comms could eliminate the need to lay miles of fiber-optic cable or to tap into a purely satellite network for fast connectivity.
“It’s kind of like going from copper to fiber, back in the day,” Aalyria CEO Chris Taylor told Payload. “This is a really big inflection point for connectivity.”
The contract: Under this MoU, Aalyria will work with HICO to deploy the second generation of its gimbaling laser terminal on up to 200 ships across multiple regions. This is the first commercial agreement the company has signed to deploy its terminals on ships.
