Laser communication system

1. What is laser communication system?
2. How is laser used in communication?
3. How fast is laser communication?
4. How do lasers send data?

What is laser communication system?

Laser communications systems are wireless connections through the atmosphere. They work similarly to fiber optic links, except the beam is transmitted through free space.

How is laser used in communication?

The infrared light used for laser communications differs from radio waves because the infrared light packs the data into significantly tighter waves, meaning ground stations can receive more data at once. While laser communications aren't necessarily faster, more data can be transmitted in one downlink.

How fast is laser communication?

The new system can offer speeds up to 7.2 Gbit/s.

How do lasers send data?

The systems use infrared light to transmit data. Though laser communications are not necessarily faster than radio waves, they are able to transmit more data in one downlink. The reason is that infrared lightwaves are much tighter than radio waves, in terms of how the data are packed.