Taara Appoints Veteran Tech Leader Atul Bhatnagar as Advisor

Taara, a graduate of X, Google’s Moonshot Factory, and a leader in high-capacity Wireless Optical Communications, has appointed Atul Bhatnagar as Advisor. Bhatnagar brings over three decades of leadership in communications, networking, and AI-driven infrastructure to support Taara’s mission of expanding global connectivity.

Experienced Tech Leader Driving Global Connectivity

Bhatnagar has held senior roles at Hewlett-Packard and Nortel, served as President and CEO at Ixia and Cambium Networks, and most recently advised organizations in AI and quantum computing. He is widely recognized for building resilient, scalable, and cost-effective networks that bridge the digital divide worldwide.

“Connectivity is now as fundamental as electricity and water,” said Atul Bhatnagar. “Almost 3 billion people remain unconnected or under-connected, limiting opportunities for education, jobs, and growth. What excites me about Taara is its ability to deliver fiber-like capacity with the flexibility and deployment speed today’s applications demand—from AI and quantum computing to machine-to-machine connectivity. It’s all about connecting societies and improving lives.”

Taara uses beams of light through the air to deliver high-capacity, low-latency connectivity in regions where fiber is difficult or impossible to deploy. Its flagship solution, Taara Lightbridge, transmits data at speeds of up to 20 Gbps over distances of 20 km, supporting bandwidth-intensive applications such as real-time video streaming and AI workloads. The technology has already been tested in challenging terrains—from spanning the Congo River to reaching remote communities in urban and rural India—and is now being actively deployed across the U.S. to strengthen the broadband “middle mile.”

“Atul is a proven leader who has built, scaled, and consistently anticipated where connectivity is heading,” said Mahesh Krishnaswamy, Founder and CEO of Taara. “His expertise spans connecting underserved communities to enabling the next generation of AI data centers. We are delighted to have him on our advisory team.”

In his advisory role, Bhatnagar will help Taara broaden opportunities and explore new applications for its wireless optical communication technology. He will also provide guidance on developing architectures optimized for scalability, cost-effectiveness, and ease of deployment in global markets.

Taara recently announced a partnership with StarTouch, a managed services provider, to integrate Taara Lightbridge into enterprise connectivity solutions. This collaboration enables StarTouch to deliver fiber-grade capacity and resilience to enterprises, with deployment times measured in hours rather than months.