NTT has set a new record for optical Internet backbone connections that can transmit up to 400GBPS on a single wavelength.
Working with NEC and Fujitsu, the Japanese telco’s research arm said it demonstrated the digital coherent optical transmission technology for distances ranging from several thousand kilometres up to 10,000 km.
The tests found that a single wavelength of light can carry 400GBPS, which is four times the capacity of previous systems, and verified fiber capacity of up to 24.8 Tbps. This compares to current capacities of 8TBPS.
"By implementing this technology in an optical transceiver, a quadrupling of optical transmissions was achieved while using existing optical fiber, enabling the construction of the world’s top-level core network, with the ability to handle transmissions of ultra-high-definition videos and the widespread expansion of machine-to-machine (M2M) communications," NTT said in a statement
The companies said the results would boost efforts to commercialise 400 GBPS-class optical transmission technology. They also expect to collaborate with institutions inside and outside Japan to deploy the technology on a global scale.
"The achievements of these development initiatives are currently being deployed by each company as part of a global roll-out to optical networks throughout the world," NTT said.
Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) sponsored the testing as part of its "Research and Development Project for the Ultra-high Speed and Green Photonic Networks" programme.
