Aston University researchers send data 4.5 million times faster than average broadband

Aston University researchers have broken new ground by transmitting data at speeds 4.5 million times faster than the average home broadband. Using a single, standard optical fibre, the team achieved a staggering rate of 301 terabits or 301,000,000 megabits per second. This record-setting pace far surpasses the UK’s average broadband speed of just 69.4 Mbps as noted by Ofcom’s report from September 2023.

The feat was achieved by opening up new wavelength bands that are not yet used in fibre optic systems. Different wavelength bands are equivalent to different colours of light being transmitted down the optical fibre.

They did this by developing new devices called optical amplifiers and optical gain equalisers to access them. Dr Phillips led the development of a management device, or optical processor, at Aston University.

Dr Ian Phillips explained the process: “Broadly speaking, data was sent via an optical fibre like a home or office internet connection.” He further highlighted the innovative approach by stating, “However, alongside the commercially available C and L-bands, we used two additional spectral bands called E-band and S-band. Such bands traditionally haven’t been required because the C- and L-bands could deliver the required capacity to meet consumer needs.”

Professor Wladek Forysiak added, “By increasing transmission capacity in the backbone network, our experiment could lead to vastly improved connections for end users.” He emphasized the broader impact by stating, “This groundbreaking accomplishment highlights the crucial role of advancing optical fibre technology in revolutionising communication networks for faster and more reliable data transmission.”

The results of this pioneering work were published in March by the Institute of Engineering and Technology and were showcased as a post-deadline paper at the European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) held in Glasgow, October 2023.

Image from Aston University of Dr Ian Phillips with the wavelength management device.