en.Wedoany.com Reported - Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) announced on June 1 that, in collaboration with University College London, Aston University, Lightera Laboratories (US), Nokia Bell Labs (US), and the University of Bristol (UK), it has successfully conducted a 450 Tb/s fiber optic transmission experiment over an existing metropolitan fiber link in London, setting a new record for field-deployed standard fiber transmission capacity.
The experiment utilized existing fiber already deployed in London's live network, connecting University College London to the Telehouse North data center in the London Docklands area, spanning approximately 39 kilometers, with most of the route laid underground. Unlike ideal fibers in laboratory environments, field links are affected by factors such as splice points, connectors, and historical cable repairs, resulting in higher transmission losses. Therefore, the significance of the 450 Tb/s fiber transmission result lies in advancing ultra-large capacity transmission from laboratory conditions to real-world metropolitan network scenarios, providing a verification foundation closer to engineering applications for expanding existing communication infrastructure.
Technically, the team adopted a multi-band wavelength division multiplexing scheme, combining the O, E, S, C, and L optical communication bands, achieving a transmission signal bandwidth of 42.4 THz, exceeding the C-band and L-band ranges typically used in conventional commercial systems. The system carried up to 1,273 wavelength channels and, combined with technologies such as dual-polarization quadrature amplitude modulation, achieved a generalized mutual information estimated transmission rate of 450 Tb/s. NICT stated that this result surpasses previous records of 402 Tb/s and 430 Tb/s achieved in laboratory fibers.
Whether existing fibers can support higher capacity is becoming a critical issue in the upgrade of global communication networks. AI services, autonomous driving, cloud computing, data center interconnection, and Beyond 5G mobile communications will continue to drive up data throughput demands on backbone and metropolitan networks. If large-scale capacity expansion relies solely on laying new cables, operators and data center interconnection service providers will face higher construction costs, longer deployment cycles, and more complex urban engineering constraints. This experiment demonstrates that, through new broadband amplifiers, multi-band transmission, and high-order modulation technologies, existing fibers still have significant capacity release potential.
This achievement also reinforces the foundational role of fiber optic transmission technology in next-generation communication networks. As Beyond 5G and future 6G systems advance, improvements in air interface rates, increases in edge computing nodes, and growth in AI data traffic will all exert pressure on optical transport networks and data center interconnection links. Ultra-large capacity transmission capabilities within metropolitan areas are crucial not only for mobile network backhaul but also for data exchange efficiency among cloud services, research networks, and large-scale computing clusters.
NICT stated that it will continue to develop new technologies, components, and fibers capable of opening more transmission windows, while improving the compatibility and transmission distance of broadband ultra-large capacity systems in field-deployed fibers. For communication operators, optical component manufacturers, data center network suppliers, and optical transmission equipment companies, multi-band fiber transmission, broadband amplifiers, and existing fiber expansion technologies will become engineering directions requiring continuous tracking in the construction of Beyond 5G networks.
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