New Data Transmission Record: 3.2 Petabits Per Second

A Technological Breakthrough in Optical Connectivity

A coalition of China's leading technology laboratories has established a new world record for data transmission speed. Using a 24-core fibre-optic cable, researchers achieved a throughput of 3.2 petabits per second (Pb/s). This figure significantly surpasses the 2.5 Pb/s record set by the same team earlier this year and represents a major milestone in real-time data transmission.

Notably, this capacity is sufficient to download over 20,000 high-definition (4K) movies every second. According to official sources in Hubei Province, this bandwidth could theoretically support 3.2 million households, each with a 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) internet connection.

How the Record Was Achieved

The project involved the National Laboratory of Optical Communication Technologies, the China Information and Communication Technologies Group, and other major research centres. The key to this success was the combination of two advanced technologies: Spatial Division Multiplexing and S+C+L multi-band transmission.

Spatial Division Multiplexing allows information to be divided into independent channels within a single cable, while the use of S, C, and L bands enables the utilisation of a broader range of the optical spectrum. Integrating these methods was a complex engineering challenge, requiring the team to minimise signal interference between channels and ensure the harmonious operation of three distinct wavelength bands.

Practical Application and Future Prospects

According to the researchers, the hardware used in the experiment fully complies with commercial standards, distinguishing their results from those achieved with purely experimental laboratory equipment. While higher records of 5.29 Pb/s exist, they often rely on specialised technologies that are currently impossible to deploy at scale.

Of course, this result does not mean such speeds will be available in our homes in the immediate future. There is currently no commercial rollout schedule, nor a guarantee that the technology will operate stably under the heavy loads of everyday network conditions. However, the experiment clearly demonstrates that the potential of existing optical infrastructure is far greater than previously imagined. In the long term, such technologies could form the foundation for future global networks capable of handling significantly larger data streams.