Taara has announced the appointment of Atul Bhatnagar as an Advisor, who brings more than three decades of leadership experience in communications, networking, and AI driven infrastructure to the company’s mission of expanding global connectivity.
Bhatnagar has held senior roles at technology firms including Hewlett Packard and Nortel, served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Ixia and Cambium Networks; and most recently advised organisations in the areas of AI and quantum computing. He is recognised for his role in building resilient, scalable, and cost-effective networks that support both people and machines, with an overarching goal to bridge digital divides around the world.
“Connectivity is now as fundamental as electricity and water,” said Bhatnagar. “Almost 3 billion people in the world remain unconnected or under-connected. That gap directly limits opportunities for education, jobs, and growth. What excites me about Taara is the ability to deliver fibre-like capacity with the flexibility and deployment speed that today’s applications demand, including AI, quantum computing, and machine-to-machine connectivity. It’s all about connecting societies and improving lives.”
Taara utilises beams of light through the air to deliver high-capacity, low-latency connectivity to communities where fibre is difficult or impossible to reach. The company’s current generation product, Taara Lightbridge, achieves data transmission at speeds of 20Gbps over distances up to 20km, capable of supporting high capacity applications like real-time video streaming services and AI workloads where alternatives like satellite-based connectivity fall short.
The solution has been proven in some of the world’s most challenging terrains, including across the Congo River and remote communities of urban and rural India, and is now being actively deployed to bridge the ‘middle mile’ in broadband expansion across the US.
“Atul is a proven leader who has built, scaled and consistently anticipated where the world of connectivity is heading,” said Mahesh Krishnaswamy, Founder and CEO of Taara. “His experience spans connecting underserved communities to enabling the next generation of AI data centres. He brings both vision and pragmatism to our advisory team, and we’re delighted to have him on board.”
In his new role, Bhatnagar will bring his extensive background in fixed wireless connectivity and scaling companies. He will advise Taara on broadening opportunities and discovering new applications for its advanced wireless optical communication technology. He will also provide guidance on developing robust architectures that optimise cost-effectiveness, scalability, and ease of deployment for global markets.
In recent news, Taara announced a partnership with StarTouch, a managed services provider, to integrate Taara Lightbridge into its enterprise connectivity portfolio. The collaboration enables StarTouch to deliver fibre-grade capacity and resilience to enterprise customers at scale, with deployments that can be switched on in a matter of hours instead of months.
