Internet Speed World Record Equal To Downloading All Of Netflix In A Second
Imagine downloading the entire Netflix library in less than one second? That's the equivalent to the new internet speed world record set by scientists in London. Of late, there has been an increased level of research in internet speeds and efficiency, although that's not too surprising, considering the increase in internet use in general and the strains that increase puts on networks.
This is the second published research in the last three months that has looked to achieve a record internet speed. In May, a team of researchers from various universities in Australia achieved a 44 Tbps download speed using the standard broadband fiber, over a distance of 75 kilometres, using a single chip as light source. With the pandemic forcing the world to fast-track into a digital existence, it has become clear that the internet is an essential commodity that needs to be available to everyone and in good quality. Ambitious plans to give internet access to people, especially in remote areas, has been undertaken during the last few years, with both SpaceX and Amazon launching satellite-based internet systems. Space X's Starlink internet system is currently beta-testing potential internet speeds, and seeing results to the tune of 11-62 Mbps. Meanwhile, Amazon has received FCC approval for Project Kuiper, its low-latency broadband satellite system.
Back on earth, things are moving pretty fast in broadband research, with a team of researchers led by Dr. Lidia Galdino of University College London managing to achieve the astonishing speed of 178 Tbps in data transmission. The research was supported by two companies, Xtera and KDDI Research. The university claims that its record is double the capacity of any data transmission system in the world, and a fifth faster than the previous internet speed record held by a team from Japan.
This remarkable speed was achieved by transmitting data through a wider bandwidth than is used in a typical optical fiber cable. Most existing fiber network use a limited spectrum bandwidth of 4.5 THz, while the researchers transmitted using a bandwidth of 16.8 THz. To do this, the researches combined various existing technologies to amplify the signals and maximize the speed over the bandwidth. The researchers came up with a new signal modulation method that helps enhance energy efficiency by manipulating each wavelength that forms light, which transports the signals through the optic fiber. The speed achieved is so great that, apart from being able to download the entire Netflix library in less than a second, it would also be possible to download the data used to create the world's first image of a black hole in less than an hour. This data actually had to be stored in a half a ton of hard-drives, due to its size.
Most importantly, a speed improvement through this new technique is possible using the existing infrastructure without much additional expense. All it takes is the upgrading of amplifiers that are at a distance of 40 to 100 kilometers along the current fiber routes. The rough cost would around $21,000 per amplifier, as opposed to more than half a million dollars per kilometer for upgrading the entire fiber network in a city.
If employed widely, this new method could revolutionize data transmission in most big urban and industrial centers around the world. Considering how the internet infrastructure was stretched during the pandemic, due to increased usage, and that general usage is likely to grow going forward, improving internet speed and capacity will be key to the smooth running of society in future. That is, in addition to all that Netflix downloading.
Source: University College London