Fiber-optic data transfer speeds hit a rapid 301 Tbps — 1.2 million times faster than your home broadband connection
The researchers hit a rate of 301 terabits per second — equivalent to transferring 1,800 4K movies over the internet in one second — using existing fiber-optic cables.
Scientists have achieved fiber-optic data transfer speeds 1.2 million times faster than the average fixed broadband line by tapping into a previously unstable transmission band for the first time.
The researchers hit a rate of 301 terabits per second (Tbps) — equivalent to transferring 1,800 4K movies over the internet in one second. The median fixed broadband speed in the U.S. in comparison, is 242.38 megabits per second (Mbps), according to Speed Test.
They achieved this breakneck speed by sending infrared light through tubular strands of glass — which is how fiber-optic broadband works generally. But they tapped into a spectral band that has never been used in commercial systems, called "E-band," using new, custom-built devices.
The results of the test — which were conducted using the kind of fiber cables already laid in the ground — were published in March by the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), the scientists said in a statement. The team also presented the research at the European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) in Glasgow in October 2023 — but the paper has not been made public.
