Telecommunications

Scientists at the University College London have set a new world record in wireless data transmission speeds, sending a blistering 938 Gigabits per second (Gbps) over the air through a combo of radio and light technology.

While 5G feels pretty new and flashy, the industry is already making preparations for the next generation. LG Electronics and the Fraunhofer Institute have now conducted a test that set a new distance record for data transmission using 6G technology.

A team of international researchers say they’ve set a new world speed record for an industrial standard optical fiber that’s as thick as a human hair, achieving a data transmission rate of 1.7 Petabits per second over a 41-mile cable.

At a teaching symposium earlier this month, the world's only liberal arts university for deaf students explored the potential for remote learning by testing out a life-size holoportation device called the Epic from Proto Inc.

Video chats came into their own during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing an audiovisual lifeline for fragmented families and remote colleagues in touch. But they seem rather flat compared to Project Ghost presented by Logitech at ISE 2023 this week.

A small satellite developed by MIT engineers has set a new record for data transmission between a satellite and Earth. The TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) system used a laser to beam huge amounts of data at up to 100 gigabits per second.

GPS has its limitations in urban areas where signals can get noisy. Now, engineers in the Netherlands have developed “SuperGPS” – a hybrid positioning system that combines wireless and optical connections to pinpoint locations within centimeters.

Engineers have set a new speed record for data transmission through a standard diameter optical fiber. By beaming 55 “modes” of signals down a single-core optical fiber, the team was able to transmit at a data rate of 1.53 petabits per second.

The speed record for data transmission using a single light source and optical chip has been shattered. Engineers have transmitted data at a blistering rate of 1.84 petabits per second (Pbit/s), almost twice the global internet traffic per second.

Scientists have demonstrated a technique to allow quantum computers to store more information in photons of light. The team encoded eight levels of data into photons and read it back easily, representing an exponential leap over previous systems.

The fastest internet network in the US just got a bit faster. The Energy Sciences Network has been upgraded to ESnet6, boasting a blistering bandwidth of 46 Terabits per second (Tbps). But don’t get too excited yet – it’s strictly scientists only.

SpaceX launched its first Starlink satellite in 2019 with a vision of blanketing the globe in high-speed internet, and it has this week ticked off an important milestone in this grand plan, beaming the service down to scientists in Antarctica.

It may feel like 5G only just arrived, but 6G is already on the horizon. Engineers at LG and HHI have now tripled the distance record for data transmission over 6G, reaching a new milestone for practical urban coverage.

SpaceX is looking to expand the reach of its Starlink internet service, through a new partnership with T-Mobile that will see the telecommunications giant's wireless network combine with orbiting satellites to fill holes in its current coverage.

Researchers in Germany have demonstrated quantum entanglement of two atoms separated by 33 km (20.5 miles) of fiber optics. This is a record distance for this kind of communication and marks a breakthrough towards a fast and secure quantum internet.