UK scientists break data transmission record with 402 Tbps speed
Scientists at Aston University in the United Kingdom have set a new world record for data transmission speed, achieving an impressive 402 terabits per second (Tbps) over optical fiber. This groundbreaking feat, detailed in a technical report by Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), surpasses their previous record of 319 Tbps by a significant margin. The new speed is around 16 million times faster than the average home broadband connection of around 25 megabits per second (Mbps).
Team overcame many challenges to achieve record
The team faced several challenges in their quest for this record-breaking speed. Traditional doped fiber amplifiers were not present for the U-band, which is the longest part of the combined wavelength spectrum. The researchers had to expand the spectrum used for data transmission, to include all six wavelength bands, rather than the four previously used. They also needed to make sure that their new system was both power-efficient and space-efficient.
Innovative techniques employed
The scientists utilized a combination of advanced optical fibers and specialized signal processing techniques, to construct world's first optical transmission system that uses all six wavelength bands (O, E, S, C, L, and U), used in fiber-optic communications. The optical fiber comprised 38 cores, each capable of transmitting data in three modes. This resulted in 114 spatial channels. They employed wavelength division multiplexing to combine multiple communication signals into a single transmission line using different wavelengths of light.
Standard equipment used to achieve record-breaking speed
The team used commercially available fiber-optic cables in this experiment, demonstrating that specialized cables are not necessary to achieve these speeds. Off-the-shelf amplifiers were used for O-band signals, and new equipment was made to amplify signals in the U-band portions of the spectrum. To make the system power and space-efficient, a single laser and a single optical chip were utilized to produce a frequency comb with many distinguishable wavelengths.
