Researchers Set New Fiber Optic Speed Record of 178 Tbps

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One of the biggest limiting factors of modern networking technology is the data transmission rate between devices. Researchers from the University College London (UCL), KDDI and Xtera set out to change that recently by teaming up, together setting a new global record for data transmission rates by using a new approach to transmitting data over fiber optic cables.

The new record is seriously impressive, transmitting 178 terabits (or 178,000,000 megabits) per second. According to UCL, that's close to the maximum theoretical data transmission speeds defined by American mathematician Claude Shannon.

The researchers say the new data transmission record is fast enough to download the entirety of Netflix's catalog in under a second. The 178 terabit transfer beats the previous record, set by a Japanese team, by 20%.

The record was accomplished with the development of "Geometric Shaping" constellations. The new properties optimize data transfer by using various light properties and several amplifying techniques that boost the overall signal power.