An internet speed has been achieved that is so fast that it would be possible to simultaneously download every film that’s available in one minute.
Scientists from Aston University in Birmingham have used a standard fibre-optic system to reach a speed of 301 terabits per second, 4.5 million times faster than broadband.
The international team achieved the world record by developing a new optical processing device that opened up new wavelength bands.
Dr Ian Phillips from Aston University’s school of computer science and digital technologies said the speed had been achieved using fibre-optic systems.
“Broadly speaking, data was sent via an optical fibre like a home or office internet connection,” he said.
“However, alongside the commercially available C- and L-bands, we used two additional spectral bands called E-band and S-band. Such bands traditionally haven’t been required because the C- and L-bands could deliver the required capacity to meet consumer needs.”
The speed was shown to be capable of downloading every single film listed on Internet Movie Database (IMDb) in 60 seconds. It is hoped it can lead to a development in home internet speeds – especially considering that existing fibres and cables would not need to be updated.
Professor Wladek Forysiak from Aston University said: “By increasing transmission capacity in the backbone network, our experiment could lead to vastly improved connections for end users.
“This groundbreaking accomplishment highlights the crucial role of advancing optical fibre technology in revolutionising communication networks for faster and more reliable data transmission.”
