A new world record has been established in the field of fiber optic communication

Japanese scientists set an incredible record for data transmission speed over optical fiber

An international scientific team led by the Japanese Photonic Network Laboratory has made a real breakthrough in the field of fiber optic communications. Scientists managed to transmit a colossal amount of data — 1.02 petabits per second — over a distance of 1,808 kilometers through an innovative 19-core optical fiber cable of standard diameter. The sensational achievement was presented at the prestigious Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC).

The impressive transmission distance is comparable to traveling from Sapporo to Fukuoka in Japan or the route from Berlin to Naples. This revolutionary achievement became possible thanks to the creation of a unique fiber with 19 independent cores in a sheath with a diameter of only 0.125 mm — identical to a standard single fiber. This technical solution allows the integration of new technology into existing infrastructure without large-scale modifications.

The technological breakthrough is based on three key innovations: significant reduction of signal loss in the C and L wavelength ranges, revolutionary optical amplifiers capable of simultaneously working with all 19 channels, and an advanced digital processing system that effectively eliminates crosstalk between channels.

The record transmission was implemented using an original ring scheme: the signal circulated through an 86-kilometer fiber 21 times, which ultimately amounted to 1,808 km. Each of the channels used 16-quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM) at 180 different wavelengths, providing unprecedented total bandwidth.

The final result — 1.86 exabits per second per kilometer — set a new world record among standard diameter fiber optic systems.

This achievement opens up exciting prospects for creating scalable and energy-efficient communication networks of the future, ready for the exponential growth of data volumes in the post-5G era. The scientists' future plans include improving the efficiency of optical amplifiers, optimizing digital signal processing, and advancing the technology toward practical implementation.