A new technology that enables wireless internet via light beams is currently being rolled out in Kenya. Experts say this technology could eventually be used to expand internet access to underserved areas in the US.

Project Taara, launched by Google's parent company Alphabet, is being used in areas where laying fiber optic cables is a challenge. The technology requires line-of-sight connections high up on towers. Alphabet is working with a telecom company to provide internet access in remote parts of Africa.

“By creating a series of connections from our partner’s fiber network over the ground to areas with limited coverage, Taara’s connections can provide people with super-fast, high-quality internet without the time, cost and effort associated with digging trenches or stringing cables along poles,” said Mahesh Krishnaswamy, managing director of Project Taara, in an announcement on the company’s website.

The system works by using light to transmit information at very high speed in a very narrow, invisible beam.