Skip to main content

Internet world record: Researchers in England achieve 178 Tbps download speed

Your internet is fast, but is it 178 Tbps fast?


Researchers at the University College London (UCL) have set a new record for the fastest internet speed in the world. How fast is it? Oh, just 178,000,000 Mbps — fast enough to download the entire Netflix library in less than a second.


The record was achieved by a team led by a lecturer at UCL and Royal Academy of Engineering research fellow, Dr. Lidia Galdino, and was close to the theoretical limit of data transmission set in 1949.

Galdino’s team deployed these record-setting speeds on existing infrastructure using a bandwidth of 16.8 THz. Typical infrastructures in use today utilize a limited spectrum bandwidth of 4.5 THz.

“While current state-of-the-art cloud data-center interconnections are capable of transporting up to 35 terabits a second, we are working with new technologies that utilize more efficiently the existing infrastructure, making better use of optical fiber bandwidth and enabling a world record transmission rate of 178 terabits a second,” Galdino said.
How does it work?


Researchers transmitted data through a larger range of wavelengths than used in a regular fiber-optic connection. They also developed brand new Geometric Shaping constellations in order to maximize speeds and boost signal strength over that extra-large bandwidth.

Not only is it ultra-fast, but UCL researchers also cite affordability as a crucial benefit of the new technique since it can be deployed over existing infrastructures. Instead of investing in new optical fiber network expansion (for what would be about 28 times the cost), work can be done to upgrade the amplifiers that are located on existing fiber routes for a fraction of the price.

Although internet traffic has continued to increase over the past decade, Dr. Galdino cites the COVID-19 pandemic as a key reason for the growth in data demand.

“The development of new technologies is crucial to maintaining this trend towards lower costs while meeting future data rate demands that will continue to increase, with as yet unthought-of applications that will transform people’s lives.”

Also read | Don’t waste your time! Find out how port forwarding can save precious seconds on your internet downloads 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Telus introduces two new Wi-Fi solutions

  Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi Plus work together to create a responsive experience Telus has launched two new Wi-Fi solutions for its customers in Western Canada. The first is Wi-Fi 6. It offers tri-band technology and the fastest home internet speed in Western Canada, the company says. It provides fast speeds even if multiple devices are connected. Wi-Fi Plus is the second offering. According to the company’s website, this is a monthly add-on to Wi-Fi 6 for those looking to ensure their Wi-Fi connection works in all corners of their home. It cost $10 a month. Company technicians install the services and determine the number of access points needed for the best experience. A combination of the two creates “an unmatched home Wi-Fi experience that is only offered by Telus,” the company says. “We all know what it feels like to have that one spot in our home where the Wi-Fi connection just isn’t as strong, and the frustration that can cause ourselves and our families,” Zainul Mawji, preside...

The Average Ping Speed

  By Jacob Andrew Many services, particularly games, measure performance according to ping. Acquiring your ping is relatively easy, but interpreting the results requires a deeper understanding of Internet bandwidth and server response times. To get your average ping, use tools available natively to Windows, or online speed measurement websites. Understanding Ping Ping measures the time it takes for a remote device to respond to your ping request. The results are measured in milliseconds or ms. As part of the Internet Control Messaging Protocol, the ICMP ping command requires a specific destination. Your response time varies depending on the location of that destination, typically a server or router. Pinging your gateway address, for example, should result in less than a 1 ms response time. Pinging google.com, however, may take 50ms. A single ping is also affected by a number of factors, including load on the server and congestion on your own network; this is why ping commands ...

How to test ping on PC?

  Follow these instructions to run a Ping test in Windows. Using the  Start Menu  at the lower left corner of your screen: Windows 10: Right-click the Start menu, and click  Command Prompt  from the resulting menu Windows 8: Press the  Windows  key ⊞ on your Keyboard to open your Windows 8 Menu Windows 7: Open your Start menu, and then click the  Search Program and Files  entry field Windows Vista: Click on the  Start Search  entry field Windows XP: Choose the  Run  command from the Start menu Type  CMD  into the text box (or at the Windows 8 Menu) and then select the  Command Prompt  program A black window will appear. This is the command window in the Windows operating system. You will not be able to use your mouse to manipulate this window Type  ping www.google.ca  into this window and then press the  ENTER  key on your keyboard. This will begin a ping test which will attem...