Vodafone is testing using free-space optic communication nodes attached to drones.

The company has revealed it is testing the use of drones to re-establish connectivity via a wireless link when underground cables linking mobile masts are cut or damaged. The company is working with Alphabet's Moonshot X labs.

“In a test earlier this month in Seville, Spain, Vodafone worked with Taara, the wireless optical connectivity moonshot at Google X, to demonstrate how two industrial-grade drones equipped with Taara’s light beam terminals could be used to deliver a temporary connection,” the company said in a blog. “In the test, one drone was securely tethered to a mast, and the other to a nearby Vodafone data transport hub.”

The drones equipped with Taara briefly established a two-way connection over three kilometers.

Taara is a moonshot project for connectivity at X, Alphabet's skunkworks lab. It uses optical laser technology from X's failed Loon project, which tried to deliver Internet connectivity via high-altitude balloons. Taara transmits information between terminals at speeds of up to 20 gigabits per second across up to 20km as a very narrow, invisible beam of light. The company says each unit consumes around 40W.

Taara has helped provide Internet services in more than a dozen countries including Australia, Kenya, and Fiji, and has been involved in trials with Liquid Intelligent Technologies in Congo, as well as with Bluetown in India and Digicel in the Pacific Islands. Other previously announced users of Taara include Liberty Networks in the Caribbean and Bharti Airtel in rural India.

A number of telco companies have been exploring the use of drones to temporarily provide wireless coverage in rural areas or in the wake of emergency situations.

Vocus developed a mobile tower drone back in 2023 to support emergency services in Australia. Swisscom aims to deploy 300 Nokia Drone-in-a-Box units to support emergency response, perimeter protection, and infrastructure inspection, as well as to protect public safety workers.

Verizon has used drones to provide coverage in the wake of Hurricane Ian – and has previously described the technology as “mission critical” in an interview with DCD.

Swedish telco Telia is using drones to increase its 5G network for the logging industry. Virgin Media O2 has developed a 5G-connected drone to support search and rescue teams in remote areas.

Voda said it deals with 75-100 backhaul fiber cuts across Europe every year.