Key Points
- Existing fiber optic tech achieves new world record of 402 terabits per second.
- Consisted of hitherto unknown bandwidths within the region of low loss transmission.
- Six signal amplification methods and innovative optical gain equalizers were combined.
- This can improve services known as “Beyond 5G” as well as future-ready networks.
In a breakthrough, scientists in Japan have achieved a new world record by transmitting data at an incredible 402 terabits per second using existing fiber optic cables.
The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), led by this work, managed to achieve this feat by unlocking previously inaccessible regions among these frequency bands that exist at the low-loss transmission window for ordinary fiber optic cables.
In essence, this was introduced at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference in San Diego marking substantial progressions in information transmission technology.
Scientific Breakthrough: 402 Tb/s Fiber Optics Speeding Through Unused Frequency Bands
Unlocking Unused Frequencies
Normal fiber-optic infrastructures only use a small part of the range called the Goldilocks zone where signals propagate with minimal energy loss. To cover all the areas with low loss spectrum, however; NICT broke new ground. This was done by bringing together six different categories of signal amplifiers like doped fiber amplifiers and distributed Raman amplification.
Moreover, newly invented optical gain equalizers allowed previously unutilized wavelength bands on current deployments to be reached through them in fiber optics. Consequently, they were able to exploit an unprecedented 37 THz band over 1505 different transmission channels during 31 miles of cable length.
Impressive Data Rates
The researchers’ theoretical maximum was therefore measured at 402 Tb/s but it is noteworthy that their bit error rate after standard code error correction came down to around 378 Tb/s.
Furthermore, it exceeds the previous conventional fiber maximum data rate by over a quarter and increases the useful transmission bandwidth by 35%. To put it in perspective, at such speeds, one would be able to download over 50,000 HD movies in just one second.
Implications for Future Technologies
While consumer internet at terabit-per-second speeds remains a distant prospect, this achievement underscores the incredible potential of existing fiber optic infrastructure.
NICT’s strategy could help deliver on the promise of super-fast “Beyond 5G” services. Service providers can increase data rates dramatically while extending the lifespans of their legacy systems by turning on new wavelengths across deployed fibers. Moreover, next-generation types of fiber together with these new bands will further future-proof networks.
Challenges and Future Prospects
In real-life applications, deploying these rates would probably demand costly upgrades to amplifiers and transmitters located at both ends of the fiber line. The possibility of achieving such high data rates thus provides a clear direction for future network improvement.
This research follows another record-setting breakthrough last year where another team reached optical fiber transfer speeds up to 22.9 petabits per second using multi-core multimode fiber as opposed to single-mode fibers incorporated in this case.
This milestone marks an important step forward in fiber optic technology that may change data transmission completely and become a foundation for future high-speed internet service generations;
