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Scientists have achieved an unprecedented data transfer rate through fibre optic cable of 402 terabits per second (Tbps), which is approximately 1.6 million times faster than a typical home broadband connection.
Researchers at Aston University in the UK have achieved these new speeds by using all the wavelength bands used in commercially available fibre optic cables. Most fibre broadband connections typically use just one or two bands. They presented their methods in a technical report issued by Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT).
The new record is 25% faster than the previous one set by the same research team in March. In previous experiments, they achieved speeds of 301 Tbps using four of the six wavelength bands in fiber optic cables.
“This discovery could help increase the capacity of a single fibre, giving the world a more efficient system,” said Ian Phillips, a lecturer in electrical and computer engineering at Aston University. “The new technology is expected to significantly increase the capacity of optical communications infrastructure as future data services rapidly increase in demand.”
To achieve the new record, the research team developed the world's first optical transmission system that covers all six wavelength bands used in fiber optic communications, including O, E, S, C, L, and U. These bands refer to different wavelengths of infrared radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum, spanning from 1,260 to 1,675 nanometers (nm). In comparison, visible light ranges from 400 nm to 700 nm in the spectrum.
Most modern commercial fiber-optic connections transmit data using parts of the C-band and L-band, which range from 1530 nm to 1625 nm, because they are the most stable segments, meaning the least amount of data is lost during transmission. However, increased network congestion means these bands will eventually become saturated, implying the need for new bands, the researchers noted in their report.
In the past, S-band, which neighbors C-band and covers the 1460 nm to 1530 nm segment, was also used in combination with others in a “wavelength division multiplexing” (WDM) system to achieve significantly higher speeds.
In previous studies, the scientists stabilized connections using a portion of the E-band. Typically, data loss during transmission in this range reaches extremely high levels — five times more data loss than in the C-band and L-band regions. This is because fiber optic cables are exposed to hydroxyl (OH) molecules in the ground, which can penetrate pipes and damage connections.
The new research has gone a step further and developed new equipment that can also use O-band and U-band wavelengths. Specifically, the scientists created devices to boost signals in parts of the U-band. They also used off-the-shelf amplifiers to boost O-band signals.
What's more, they were able to achieve these speeds using standard, commercially available fiber optic cables, meaning that no specialized cables would need to be installed to access these speeds.
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