300 million mbps! Scientists set new internet speed world record
A team of scientists from Aston University in the UK has achieved a groundbreaking feat in data transmission, setting a new global benchmark. In collaboration with Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology and Nokia Bell Labs in the US, they successfully transferred data at an unprecedented speed of 301 million megabits per second. This speed is 4.5 million times faster than the average broadband speed in the UK and surpasses the US average by one million times.
Novel wavelength bands key to speed achievement
The secret behind this remarkable achievement lies in the use of innovative wavelength bands, not typically used in conventional fiber optic systems. Ian Phillips, a researcher at Aston University, explained that these new wavelength bands can be compared to "different colors of light being transmitted down the optical fiber." The data was sent via an optical fiber using two additional spectral bands known as E-band and S-band, in addition to the commercially available C and L-bands.
University engineered breakthrough optical amplifier
Aston University has developed an optical amplifier that allows data wavelengths to operate in the E-band, which is about three times broader compared to traditional wavelengths used for data transmission. This achievement marks the first time E-band channels have been successfully replicated in a controlled environment. The innovative approach doesn't require new infrastructure, potentially enabling significantly faster internet speeds using existing fiber cables.
