Japan Breaks Internet Speed Record

Blazing-fast internet speeds are now a reality thanks to joint research in Japan. The system reached a record 1.02 petabit per second, potentially revolutionizing data transmission.

Key Development

A new system developed by the **National Institute of Information and Communication Technologies (NICT)** and **Sumitomo Electric Industries** achieved the record. The groundbreaking speed was reached through uninterrupted data transmission across 1,808 kilometers.

Speed and Capacity

To put that speed into perspective, 1.02 petabits translates to over 1 million gigabytes transferred every second. To illustrate, at this rate, one could theoretically download Netflix’s entire film and series library 30 times per second.

Advanced Fiber Optic Cables

The record was achieved using specially designed 19-core optical fiber cables. These cables, with a diameter of 0.125 mm, were engineered to be compatible with existing internet infrastructures. As of November 2024, the achieved speed is 26 times greater than Japan’s total fixed extensive download traffic.

First Petabit Class Data Transfer

Experts suggest this advancement marks a crucial milestone, especially for intercontinental data transmission and future post-5G communication technologies. This accomplishment also marks the first time that “Petabit Class” data transfer has been successfully achieved over a thousand kilometers using standard optical fiber.

Implications for Global Internet

According to **The Shift Project**, digital technologies are responsible for 3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and this share is expected to grow (The Shift Project 2019). Scientists believe that high-speed data transmission systems like this may transform the global internet infrastructure, offering a more sustainable solution to meet ever-increasing digital data demands. Such systems could significantly reduce the energy consumption per bit transferred.