Researchers have achieved the fastest ever Internet speed of 44.2 Tbps!

Australia recorded an internet speed of 44.2 Tbps (Terabits per second), which is almost a million times the speed of the average Internet connection, globally. 

Researchers based out of Australia’s Monash, Swinburne, and RMIT universities say they’ve set a new internet speed record of 44.2 Tbps, according to a paper published in the open-access journal Nature Communications. That’s theoretically enough speed to download the contents of more than 50 100GB Ultra HD Blu-ray discs in a single second.

What’s interesting about the research is that it was achieved over 75km of standard optical fiber using a single integrated chip source, meaning it has the potential to one day benefit existing fiber infrastructure.

The test fiber connection ran between RMIT’s Melbourne City campus and Monash University’s Clayton campus, and the researchers say it mirrors infrastructure used by Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN). The findings represent a “world-record for bandwidth,” according to Swinburne University Professor David Moss, one of the team members responsible.

The technology that made it possible :

For achieving this incredible speed, the researchers used a new device that replaces 80 lasers with one single piece of equipment known as a micro-comb.

A micro-bomb is much smaller and lighter than existing telecommunications hardware. The micro-comb was planted and tested - outside the laboratory - using existing infrastructure, similar to that used by Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN).

Interestingly, it is also for the first time any micro-comb has been used in a field trial and possesses the highest amount of data produced from a single optical chip. During their study, the researchers were able to send maximum data down each channel, simulating peak internet usage, across 4THz of bandwidth.

The Significance of such an outstanding achievement :

The team’s finding assumes significance as it comes at a time when the world’s internet infrastructure is under tremendous pressure mainly due to the isolation policies as a result of coronavirus pandemic.

While today’s users probably don’t need a 44.2 Tbps connection, that speed could be leveraged by businesses, especially as companies adopt trends like IoT and cloud computing. Plus, as web content becomes richer and more consumer industries shift online, it’s only a matter of time before the average user needs faster speeds.

The team is hopeful that their findings offer a glimpse into how internet connections could look 25 years from now.

“What our research demonstrates is the ability for fibres that we already have in the ground, thanks to the NBN project, to be the backbone of communications networks now and in the future. We’ve developed something that is scalable to meet future needs,'' Dr Bill Corcoran, co-lead author of the study and Lecturer in Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering at Monash University, was quoted saying.