Operators, traditional and new, continue to search for cost-effective ways to bring broadband connectivity to the remotest areas, with low earth orbit (LEO) satellites becoming an increasingly important ingredient. Google’s Loon project, which focused on tethered, steerable balloons to provide rural connectivity, has been mothballed, but the wireless optical technology that was developed for that initiative is living on under a new effort called Project Taara. Taara is focused on using wireless links to deliver data transport connectivity to places that are hard to reach with fiber. It is the latest in a long line of efforts to enhance the range and performance of microwave and other wireless transport options, including ‘wireless fiber’ and free space optics (FSO) technologies. The Taara…