British researchers can possibly put an end to slow Internet with the creation of fiber optic cables that can send data 50,000 times faster than the current average broadband.
Researchers at University College London's Optical Networks Group (ONG) explain that current commercial optical transmission systems are capable of receiving single channel data rates of up to 100 Gbps. However, the team is working with equipment that can manage data of up to 1 Tbps.
Robert Maher, Ph.D., lead researcher at ONG - a research group within the Electronic & Electrical Engineering Department at UCL, says that they have achieved speeds of 1.125 Tbps, which is the highest throughput ever recorded using a single receiver. The high speed is meant to address the growing demand for fast Internet data.
Maher, says that in comparison to the average broadband speed of 24 Mbps in the UK, the results are nearly 50,000 times faster. He also highlighted that this current Internet speed is already considered "superfast."
The researchers say that the data rate will allow the download of the entire "Games of Thrones" series in a matter of seconds.
Professor Polina Bayvel, who is the principal investigator of the UNLOC program at UCL, says that the result is actually a landmark for the technology industry. Such high-speed Internet will make a difference to the digital economy as well as lives of regular users.
"This result is a milestone as it shows that terabit per second optical communications systems are possible in the quest to reach ever higher transmission capacities in optical fibers that carry the vast majority of all data generated or received," says Bayvel.
The research team says that it benefited from the state-of-the-art lab facilities at the university while working on the project. For their experiment, 15 channels were combined and sent to one optical receiver. The grouping of the channels is believed to be the next-generation step in achieving high-capacity communication systems.
The study involved connecting the receiver and transmitter directly to achieve high speed. Now, the researchers will start testing the system in long distance transmission, where optical signals may get distorted as they travel.
Internet service providers are looking at ways to increase data speed and attract more customers. The day remains to be seen when users will be able to get data speeds of about 1 Tbps.
Photo: Kristina Alexanderson | Flickr
