A team of researchers from the Network Research Institute of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT, Japan) has achieved a new world record for bandwidth in a singleoptical fiberstandard diameter.
The researchers achieved a bandwidth of about 1.53 petabits per second by encoding information at 55 different light frequencies (a technique known as multiplexing). That's enough bandwidth to carry all of the world's Internet traffic (estimated at less than 1 Petabit per second) over a single fiber optic cable. That's a far cry from the gigabit connections that we mere mortals have at our disposal (in the best scenarios): to be precise; It is a million times greater.
The technology works by taking advantage of the different light frequencies available across the spectrum. Since each “color” within the spectrum (of visible and invisible light) has its own frequency that is distinct from all others, it can be made to carry its own independent flow of information. The researchers managed to unlock a spectral efficiency of 332 bits/s/Hz (bits per second times Hz). That's three times the efficiency of its previous best attempt, in 2019, which achieved a spectral efficiency of 105 bits/s/Hz.
Post time: Nov-24-2022
