23 Sep Terabit Internet? Yes Please
Though not yet commercially available, Nokia Bell Labs, Deutsche Telekom T-Labs and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) got one step closer to making terabit internet speeds a reality. These kinds of terabit fiber optic tests have been done in the past, but this is the first successful test done in the field “under real conditions.”
The key to the breakthrough lies within a new modulation approach known as Probabilistic Constellation Shaping (PCS). The TUM press release explains:
PCS modifies the probability with which constellation points – the alphabet of the transmission – are used. Traditionally, all constellation points are used with the same frequency. PCS cleverly uses constellation points with high amplitude less frequently than those with lesser amplitude to transmit signals that, on average, are more resilient to noise and other impairments. This allows the transmission rate to be tailored to ideally fit the transmission channel, delivering up to 30 percent greater reach.
The result? Speeds so fast it nearly reached the theoretical maximum data speed of fiber optic cable. That’s about as good as it gets. Literally.
There’s a ways to go before we see something like this available for use, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. Until then, we’ll just be sitting here waiting…
You can view full press release from TUM here:
http://www.tum.de/en/about-tum/news/press-releases/short/article/33398/