Skip to main content

Fiber optic transmission reaches new heights

Bandwidth junkies rejoice! A group of engineers at the University of California, San Diego, reported in Science earlier this week that they have successfully surpassed the fiber optic transmission capacity limit.

“This advance,” writes the UC San Diego News Center, “has the potential to increase data transmission rates for the fiber optic cables that serve as the backbone of the Internet, cable, wireless and landline networks.”

Recommended Videos

To be clear, this now means optic signals can be transmitted over longer distances without obstruction, according to BGR. The breakthrough is the result of an optical engineering experiment in which university researchers were able to boost the intensity of the fiber optic signal by 2,000 per cent. Consequently, the optic signals were transmitted over 7,456 miles without any hindrance in quality, a record-breaking achievement.

While high power in optic signals typically provoke interruption, referred to by scientists as “crosstalk”, such conflicts are easily predicted among highly-regarded engineers. Ergo, researchers knew just when to reverse the signal as it approached its target.

Nikola Alic, one of the researchers who partook in the study, described its significance in a published report:

Today’s fiber optic systems are a little like quicksand. With quicksand, the more you struggle, the faster you sink. With fiber optics, after a certain point, the more power you add to the signal, the more distortion you get, in effect preventing a longer reach. Our approach removes this power limit, which in turn extends how far signals can travel in optical fiber without needing a repeater.

Still, while this is a crucial accomplishment to ensure the eternality of the World Wide Web, there’s a lot more room for improvement that will need to be addressed before introducing this advancement to the everyday Internet user. On the bright side, this could mean a great deal for the future of data transmission speeds in relation to service pricing over the next several years.

Gabe Carey
A freelancer for Digital Trends, Gabe Carey has been covering the intersection of video games and technology since he was 16…
The robot takeover comes another step closer — at Amazon
An Amazon robot working inside one of the company's warehouses.

Amazon is close to having more robots operating inside its warehouses than humans after the e-commerce giant announced this week that it now has more than a million robots working at its facilities around the world.

Over the years, Amazon has spent billions of dollars on the development and deployment of warehouse-based robots, which handle an array of tasks once performed by human workers.

Read more
This Lenovo ThinkPad laptop is over $1,400 off — hurry while stocks last!
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 Intel laptop on a white background.

Now's an excellent time to take advantage of laptop deals from Lenovo, which has slashed the prices of a wide range of devices for its Black Friday in July sale. Lenovo's ThinkPad laptops are up to 45% off, and here's one of the most interesting offers available with such a discount — the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 at $1,440 off its estimated value of $3,199, so you'll only have to pay $1,759. That's an excellent price for this fantastic productivity tool, but you're going to have to push forward with your purchase as soon as possible because stocks may run out at any moment.

BUY NOW

Read more
Early Prime Day deal: Samsung’s 27-inch Odyssey G3 at its annual low price
Samsung Odyssey G3 gaming monitor on desk with keyboard and headset.

If you're ready to upgrade your monitor, this Samsung deal over at Amazon just might be your best bet. The 27-inch version of Samsung's Odyssey G3 is $130 right now, a full $100 off its regular $230 price and its lowest price of the year. It's a part of early Prime Day deals and a good sampling of what we can expect for the shopping holiday, which officially lands on July 8th. Tap the button below to see it for yourself or keep reading to see why we like this deal and why this should be your next monitor.

Buy Now

Read more