olee.space, an Indian photonics and defence technology company, has demonstrated an indigenous 20 kilometre, 10 gigabits per second wireless laser communication system in a live operational environment in India. The company said the system achieved carrier-grade availability and validated the ability to design, manufacture and deploy high-reliability optical wireless communication solutions for defence and strategic applications.
The demonstration was conducted under live operating conditions rather than in a laboratory or controlled field trial. The system was tested across all weather conditions, within a temperature range of minus 20 to 60 degrees Celsius, and without traditional line-of-sight constraints. According to the company, measured uptime during the trials was 99.998 percent, which underpins a stated carrier-grade availability target of 99.9999 percent under Indian operating conditions.
All performance parameters of the system were validated, with the company stating that validation was carried out by authorities in relevant fields. The demonstration confirmed sustained data throughput of 10 gigabits per second over a 20 kilometre link, along with operational stability in varied environmental conditions.
The system has approximately 85 percent local content, with manufacturing and supply chain activities carried out entirely in-house. Key features include a high-accuracy Indian-manufactured gimbal for precise pointing and a dual-stage stabilisation system that maintains link stability despite atmospheric variations. The wireless laser communication equipment is currently manufactured at the company’s facility in Pune. olee.space stated that it has in-house capabilities covering laser source fabrication, opto-mechanics and alignment, without outsourcing these critical elements.
The company said its current annual manufacturing capacity for the system is 500 units. It also plans to set up a dedicated manufacturing or assembly facility within the next six months to support scaling of production.
“Achieving a 20 km, 10 Gbps optical link with carrier-grade availability under Indian operating conditions is a significant milestone. This demonstration establishes India’s ability to design, manufacture, and validate advanced Wireless Laser Communication systems using predominantly indigenous technologies. We remain committed to delivering secure, high-reliability communication systems that meet operational requirements across contested and spectrum-constrained environments,” said James Solomon, Founder & CEO, olee.space.
In terms of positioning, olee.space benchmarks its system against solutions developed by Aalyria Technologies Inc. of California. The company noted that while Aalyria’s systems are focused on space-based network applications, its own solution is currently deployed at the terrestrial level. olee.space indicated that its technology offers faster deployment, with installation taking a few hours, compared with fibre-based or radio-frequency alternatives, and stated that the system is resistant to jamming within the line of sight.
On regulatory aspects, the company said it is not currently aware of export restrictions for the product, noting that the system is new and that regulatory requirements for overseas sales are still being assessed.
Over the next 12 to 24 months, olee.space aims to supply the system to both Indian and international markets and to achieve additional capabilities, including ground-to-drone communication links.
Founded in 2023 by IIT Bombay alumnus James Solomon and engineer Suman Hiremath, Olee Space develops laser-based communication systems and directed energy weapon (DEW) platforms. Its work focuses on free-space optical communication (FSOC), which uses low-powered infrared lasers for high-speed, secure data transmission across land, air, sea, and space.olee.space operates in the photonics and defence technology segment, focusing on optical wireless communication systems designed for high-throughput, secure and rapid-deployment applications. In August 2025 the company raised USD 3 million in seed funding from domestic and international investors
