An innovative technology used to align the components of accelerators is breaking through into the field of telecommunications. The structured laser beam system, developed by a team of CERN surveyors in collaboration with the Institute of Plasma Physics in Prague (IPP) will be used to improve mobile phone networks. CERN's Knowledge Transfer group and Aircision, a Dutch start-up, have signed an agreement on the use of this new system in next-generation telecomminication links.
The structured laser beam system is capable of producing beams that are virtually non-diffractive over several hundred metres, whereas the systems currently available on the market produce such beams over a distance of only a few metres. Thanks to these properties, this technology is clearly of interest in many fields, in particular the high-speed transmission of data over long distances with high reliability.
Aircision will apply the technology to the transmission of data between mobile phone masts, particularly with a view to modernising the existing infrastructure for 5G and beyond. The Dutch start-up expects to finalise its prototype and deploy a pilot test later this year.
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