Scientists from University College London (UCL) have achieved data transfer speeds of 938 Gbit/s. This is more than 9,000 times faster than the average 5G speed of about 100 Mbps. For comparison, at this speed, you can download a 130 GB game such as Black Myth: Wukong in just 1.1 seconds.
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The research team achieved this result through a combination of electronic and optical data transmission methods, which allowed them to overcome the current limitations of wireless networks. Typically, such networks use radio waves in a narrow frequency range, but congestion in these bands significantly slows down the transmission speed. “UCL scientists have overcome this barrier by using a much wider range of frequencies, combining radio technology and optical solutions for the first time,” writes PC Gamer.
To achieve this high speed, two frequency bands were used: one around 100 GHz and the other in the 130–175 GHz range. Signal stability was ensured by a crystal oscillator, which is similar to those used in computers to maintain a stable processor frequency. According to the study’s lead author, Dr. Zhixin Liu, “The new approach combines two existing technologies—high-speed electronics and millimeter-wave photonics—to enable the transfer of enormous amounts of data at unprecedented speeds.”
It is noted that the main advantage of this technology is not only speed. The new system can solve the problem of simultaneous data transmission for a large number of users, as the network capacity will be increased. Despite the obvious successes, the team would like to overcome the symbolic barrier of 1000 Gbps. “We strive to reach this mark simply because we like round numbers,” the scientists joke.