  Color centers in wide-bandgap semiconductors are attractive systems for
quantum technologies since they can combine long-coherent electronic spin and
bright optical properties. Several suitable centers have been identified, most
famously the nitrogen-vacancy defect in diamond. However, integration in
communication technology is hindered by the fact that their optical transitions
lie outside telecom wavelength bands. Several transition-metal impurities in
silicon carbide do emit at and near telecom wavelengths, but knowledge about
their spin and optical properties is incomplete. We present all-optical
identification and coherent control of molybdenum-impurity spins in silicon
carbide with transitions at near-infrared wavelengths. Our results identify
spin $S=1/2$ for both the electronic ground and excited state, with highly
anisotropic spin properties that we apply for implementing optical control of
ground-state spin coherence. Our results show optical lifetimes of $\sim$60 ns
and inhomogeneous spin dephasing times of $\sim$0.3 $\mu$s, establishing
relevance for quantum spin-photon interfacing.
