Researchers from ETH Zurich have successfully demonstrated the capability of lasers to transmit several tens of terabits per second over long distances through air turbulence. Precise data transmission was achieved between the mountain peak of Jungfraujoch and the city of Bern in Switzerland, which is a far more challenging route than between a satellite and ground station, according to Yannik Horst, who led the study. The laser systems can operate in the near-infrared range, which is about 10,000 times shorter than the microwave range used for satellite-based micro-wave transmission, thus transporting more information per unit of time.
https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-lasers-enable-internet-backbone-satellite.html