A team of Japanese researchers has achieved a new world record in fastest internet speed for data transmission.
Using commercially available optical fiber, they reached a data rate of 402 terabits per second—approximately 1.6 million times faster than the average broadband speed in the United States. This breakthrough was made possible under the guidance of Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) and its Photonic Network Laboratory, using all transmission bands within standard optical fibers and advanced amplification methods.
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According to NICT, this approach to accessing previously unused wavelength bands could benefit future telecommunications networks. “This new technology is anticipated to significantly boost the capacity of optical communication infrastructure as data demands continue to grow rapidly,” stated NICT in a summary of their work.
Plans for Expanding Transmission Range
As of May 2024, the average U.S. broadband speed was 248.27 Mbps for downloads and 34.23 Mbps for uploads, with Cox delivering the fastest speed among top fixed broadband providers by Q4 2023. The Japanese team’s 402 Tb/s rate is exceptionally fast, equivalent to downloading 12,500 movies per second—three times the number of films currently available on Netflix.
Looking forward, NICT researchers aim to extend this technology for long-range, trans-oceanic transmissions. However, replicating even a fraction of this achievement outside lab conditions will require substantial resources and further studies. Although this record was set with standard optical fibers, optimal lab conditions played a critical role in achieving such a high data rate.
