Rohit Jha

Using lasers and a proprietary shoebox-sized device, this technopreneur’s company Transcelestial seeks to increase connectivity speeds and access around the globe—and soon, beyond it

- Chong Seow Wei

If you come across a company named Transcelestial, the first thing that comes to mind is probably that it is in the business of space travel.

And you would be half right-the Singapore deep-tech start-up bearing the name works in space, but it transports data, not people.

More than 90 per cent of the world's data transmission relies on a vast network of fibre optic cables running under the oceans and across continents, giving us internet connection and making communication possible. However, a major issue is the affordability of such cables, which are hampered by global supply constraints and high labour costs. In Transcelestial co-founder and CEO Rohit Jha's view, lasers are the solution to the problem.

A BEAM OF HOPE

For Jha and his team, laser technology is a complex solution that can improve how the world has been connected online for the past three decades. “As we move from 4G to 5G, we need all the cell towers and homes to be connected by fibre optic cables. It’s a huge investment. That’s why we say instead of fibre optics, [the deployment of which requires digging deep into the ground as well as] a lot of money and time, why not use wireless fibre optics or laser technology,” says Jha, adding that unlike the traditional fibre‑optics system, which takes months or even years to set up, laser tech can be set up within a day—and at one‑tenth the cost.

These lasers can carry huge amounts of data at high speeds over long distances, but are complex to build.

When it comes to Transcelestial's technology, Jha explains, "transmitting connectivity through lasers is similar to beaming a laser as thin as a single strand of hair to a smartphone-sized window [on commercial telecommunication systems] 3 kilometres away while both the laser and window are moving, and subject to changing weather conditions".