Researchers claim new internet speed record of 44.2 Tbps

University researchers have developed and recorded the fastest internet data speed in the world from a single optical chip, holding the capacity to download 1,000 high-definition movies in a split second, according to new research revealed Friday.

In the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, the world's internet infrastructure has experienced increased pressure, heightened by the pandemic isolation policies. After much development, the research team, led by Bill Corcoran of Monash, Arnan Mitchell of RMIT and David Moss of Swinburne was able to successfully achieve a data speed of 44.2 terabits per second from a single light source.

Demonstrations of this magnitude are usually confined to a laboratory. But, for this study, researchers achieved these quick speeds using existing communications infrastructure where they were able to efficiently load-test the network.

The team achieved such a fast connection by using an optical device called a microcomb to replace the standard bunch of about 80 lasers found in modern telecom equipment. According Phys.org, a microcomb "generates very sharp and equidistant frequency lines in a tiny microphotonic chip." This specialized technology is compatible with existing fiber optic lines" which hopefully means that the internet's pipelines don't need to be overhauled in order to reach such fast speeds.

"What our research demonstrates is the ability for fibers that we already have in the ground...to be the backbone of communications networks now and in the future," said Bill Corcoran of Monash University.

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