Japan smashes internet speed record at 319 terabits per second

Researchers used special add-ons in their experiments, including a combination of rare earth minerals

Researchers at Japan's National Institute Information & Communication Technology (NICT) claim to have achieved a record-setting internet speed of 319 terabits per second (Tb/s), smashing the previous record of 178 Tb/s.

That record was set last year by a joint team of scientists in Japan and the UK by using a technology that transmitted data along three optical fibre tubes, rather than conventional copper wires.

The latest experiment used similar technology, but with four cores. In addition, some special add-ons were also used, including a sophisticated laser system and a combination of rare earth minerals.

The tests were carried out in a lab and simulated a transmission distance of more than 3,000 km.

The system used wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) technology to transmit data, which was beamed from a 552-channel comb laser fired at various wavelengths.

The data signal was split into 552 channels and then sent down the four optical fibre cores.

The signal then moved through 70 km of optical fibre, before being processed and amplified by novel fibre amplifiers doped with erbium and thulium. After initial amplification, it continued on its way, experiencing regular amplification process called Raman amplification.

"We demonstrate the recirculating transmission of 552 x 25 GHz spaced channels covering >120 nm of S, C, and L-bands in a 125μm diameter, 4-core fibre, measuring a decoded throughput of 319 Tb/s at 3001 km", the researchers wrote in the paper presented at the International Conference on Optical Fiber Communications in June.

They team claimed that they were able to maintain the bandwidth over 3,000 km without any performance drop.

The technology that was used to achieve 319 Tb/s internet speed is compatible with existing infrastructure, according to the researchers, and can be upgraded relatively easily.

"The standard cladding diameter, 4-core optical fibre can be cabled with existing equipment, and it is hoped that such fibres can enable practical high data-rate transmission in the near-term, contributing to the realization of the backbone communications system, necessary for the spread of new communication services Beyond 5G," the researchers said.

The latest world-record setting speed is about seven times the speed of 44.2 Tb/s, which was set in 2020 with an experimental photonic chip.

Earlier in 2019, scientists at Osaka University in Japan had claimed a breakthrough in the development of quantum internet communications using lasers.

The researchers said that their experiments demonstrated that it was possible to translate "the information encoded in the circular polarisation of a laser beam" into the spin state of an electron caught in a quantum dot. That allowed the team to read the state of the electron and to confirm that the electron state was in the correct spin state.

The team claimed that the breakthrough could encourage further research towards the development of quantum internet, eventually making it possible to quickly and securely send and receive information in a quantum manner.