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University of Illinois Transmits Record 57Gbps Through Fiber Optic Lines (digitaltrends.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the that's-a-lot-of-data dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Digital Trends: Engineers at the University of Illinois have set a new record for fiber-optic data transmission, breaking previous theories that fiber optics have a limit in how much data they can carry. The engineers transmitted 57Gbps of error-free data at room temperature. The group, led by Professor Milton Feng, improved on its previous work in 2014, when it achieved 40Gbps. The keywords here are "error free," which is what makes this research unique from others that claim faster speeds. Fang said, "There is a lot of data out there, but if your data transmission is not fast enough, you cannot use data that's been collected; you cannot use upcoming technologies that use large data streams, like virtual reality. The direction toward fiber-optic communication is going to increase because there's a higher speed data rate, especially over distance." Engadget writes in an update to a similar report: "Reader Tanj notes that this is specifically a record for VCSEL (vertical cavity surface-emitting laser) fiber, not fiber as a whole."

3 of 57 comments (clear)

  1. So much slower than 100GBase-RZ...? by ffkom · · Score: 4, Informative

    Excuse me, but even after reading the linked article it eludes me how this is an advancement over existing technology like 100GBase-ZR EtherNet lines (operating at ~ 120 Gbaud per fiber)?

    1. Re: So much slower than 100GBase-RZ...? by Geordish · · Score: 3, Informative

      Not quite. Those optics use DP-QPSK, which uses mathematical magic to cram 4 bits worth of information into one symbol. This means the optics only need to operate at 25Gbps to supply a 100Gbps line rate.

      DP-QPSK is a whole load of magic I don't understand.

      If DP-QPSK can be used with this technology, it seems to imply 200Gbps optics are not too far away.

  2. Re:Error free? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Oh, you twat. If a transmitted unit contains an error it is retransmitted, which reduces the overall throughput. This is digital communications, so there is such a thing as error free.