Researchers from Australia's Monash, Swinburne and RMIT universities say they have broken a new Internet speed record. The speed of 44,2 Tbps, is now a fact, according to a PublicationR in open-access Nature magazine Communications.
This is theoretically a speed that allows you to download the contents of 50 Ultra HD Blu-ray discs of 100 GB in one second.
What is interesting about this research is that it was achieved over 75 kilometers of standard optical fiber using an integrated chip source. This means it has the potential to work with existing fiber infrastructure at some point.
The test connection held between RMIT's Melbourne campus and Monash University's campus. The researchers said this connection mirrors the infrastructure used by Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN).
The findings represent a “global record for bandwidth, ”said David Moss, a professor at the University of Swinburne.
"What our research shows is the ability of the fibers we already have on the ground, thanks to the NBN project, to be the backbone of communications networks now and in the future. "We have developed something that is scalable to meet our future needs," said Bill Corcoran, co-lead author of the study and a lecturer at the University of Monash.
These speeds have been achieved thanks to a technology called micro-comb, which offers a more efficient and compact way of transmitting data. This micro-comb was placed in the optical fibers and according to the researchers is the first time the technology was used in a field test.
Now, researchers say, the challenge is to turn technology into something that can be used more easily with existing infrastructure.
"In the long term, we hope to create integrated photonic chips that could enable this rate to be achieved transportof data over existing fiber optic links at minimal cost," says RMIT Professor Arnan Mitchell.
However, it is unlikely that you can download short games or watch movies over a 44,2 Tbps connection.
If the technology manages to commercialize, researchers say it is likely to be used to connect data centers. After all, gigabit Internet connections have been available for years and are still unusually used by home users. But if the technology becomes cheap enough, then researchers hope it could one day be used by the general public.
