Researchers at Japan’s NICT (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology) have reportedly set a world record with an internet speed of 319 terabits per second (TB/s). With this, the team broke the previous world record of 178 TB/s set by engineers in Japan and the UK a year ago.

The team at NICT used advanced fiber-optic technology with a 4-core cable comparable to the size of a standard fiber optic line to perform the speed test in a lab.

According to data released by the NCT, the 4-core fiber with standard diameter is desirable for early adoption of fibers in long-distance links with high-throughput, as it is compatible with standard cable infrastructure and likely to have mechanical reliability as compared to single-mode fibers.

NICT constructed a transmission loop by coiling bits of fiber optic that enabled a transmission over 3,001 km (around 1,864 miles) without disturbing the signal or speed.

As cited in the report, though the result is outstanding, there is a long way to go and the method used here was a bit complicated. The researchers' team fired a 552-channel comb laser at different wavelengths and made way through amplifiers composed of rare earth minerals to attain the incredible speed.

The engineers assumed that this will primarily be used to push data speedily across long distances rather than letting users download video games instantly.

The team considers the innovative 4-core optical fiber cable to be the main innovation here. It is of the same size as the standard fiber optic cable and could be smoothly implemented in existing systems to increase the speed rapidly.

Such fibers can enable high data transmission in near future, supporting the backbone communications system which is essential for the expansion of advanced communication services Beyond 5G.

Source Credits –

https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/japan-transfers-319-tb/s-setting-internet-speed-record/84520602