Verizon, NEC complete 21.7Tbps data transfer over fiber
updated 10:35 am EDT, Tue March 13, 2012
Verizon, NEC US achieve 21.7Tbps in field trials
Verizon and NEC are the first in the industry to attain 21.7 terabits per second over field fiber. The record speed was attained over 934 miles of single-mode field fiber on Verizon's network near Dallas. The modulation levels were increased, and optical carrier spacing reduced, to more than double the per-fiber capacity of current 100-gigabit systems.
These so-called superchannels are said to be the next step of optical tech. It allows using the existing fiber network and current network infrastructure. The test is significant, as it was done in the real world rather than in a lab environment. Different modulation formats were also used to maximize signal performance and achieve the highest possible capacity.
The two aren't the only ones experimenting with high-speed fiber networks, as Germany's Deutsche Telekom had recently announced it reached a 512Gbps single-channel optical fiber speed. The carrier theorized it can achieve a 24.6Tbps peak when using all 48 channels available in the fiber strand.
