Breakthrough in Optical fiber Technology Promises Faster, Longer-Range Data Transmission
Southampton, UK – September 1, 2025 – researchers at the University of Southampton have unveiled a novel optical fiber design that dramatically reduces signal loss, potentially revolutionizing telecommunications adn enabling significantly faster data transmission over longer distances. The findings, published today in Nature Photonics, detail a fiber utilizing a hollow air core surrounded by a meticulously engineered glass microstructure.
Traditional optical fibers rely on solid silica glass to guide light, but decades of optimization have hit a performance ceiling due to inherent signal loss. Currently, approximately half the light signal is lost after traveling just 20 kilometers, necessitating frequent optical amplifiers for long-distance interaction links – such as those spanning continents or crossing oceans.
The new fiber design overcomes this limitation. Testing in laboratory settings demonstrated an optical loss of only 0.091 decibels per kilometer at a commonly used light wavelength.This translates to signals traveling roughly 50% further before requiring amplification.
“We are confident that,with advancements in produced volumes,geometrical consistency and reduced presence of absorbing gases in the core,the new fibers will establish themselves as a pivotal waveguiding technology,” said the researchers.
Beyond increased distance, the innovative design also boasts a significantly broader transmission window – the range of wavelengths where light can travel with minimal signal loss and distortion – compared to conventional fibers. This wider bandwidth allows for the transmission of more data concurrently, increasing transmission speeds by 45%.
The team, led by researcher Francesco Poletti, achieved this breakthrough by replacing the solid glass core with air, guided by a precise pattern of thin silica rings. While the researchers believe even lower losses are possible with a larger air core, further examination is needed.
“This innovation has the potential to enable the next technological leap in data communications,” the researchers stated.
The research is detailed in the paper, “Broadband optical fibre with an attenuation lower than 0.1 decibel per kilometre” by M. Petrovich et al., Nat. Photon,published online September 1,2025; doi: 10.1038/s41566-025-01747-5.
