SAEDNEWS: Researchers in Japan have claimed a new world record for data transmission speeds, achieving over 125,000 gigabits per second across 1,120 miles — more than double the previous record and vastly exceeding average global broadband capacities.
According to Saednews' Scientists at Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology announced the breakthrough on April 3 during the 48th Optical Fiber Communication Conference in San Francisco.
The team developed a specialized optical fiber that can carry data at unprecedented rates over a distance roughly equivalent to the span between New York and Florida.
The new cable integrates 19 separate fiber cores within a diameter of 0.127 millimeters, which matches the thickness of standard single-core cables already deployed in networks.
According to the researchers, this design allows much higher transmission capacity while remaining compatible with existing infrastructure.
The achievement reportedly enabled speeds approximately four million times faster than average US broadband, potentially fast enough to download the entire Internet Archive in under four minutes.
A prior record of 50,250 Gbps was set in 2024 by another research group, but the current result more than doubles that benchmark.
To overcome the challenge of long-distance data loss, the team improved the consistency of light transmission through all 19 fiber cores, reducing fluctuations and minimizing degradation over distance.
In March 2023, similar speeds were achieved, though only across less than one-third of the latest distance.
The new demonstration required the signal to pass through a transmission system 21 times before reaching the receiving equipment after traveling 1,120 miles.
Researchers said these results point toward scalable, high-capacity optical communication systems that could help meet rapidly growing global data demands.
Future work will focus on exploring practical applications in telecommunications.
