Researchers from AT&T have managed to get data over a distance of 12,000 kilometers, to send with a speed of 400Gbit/s. They have achieved this record on an optical 100GHz-network, where the previous record stood at a distance of 3000 km over a 50GHz-grid.
The research team of AT&T has brought together eight 100GHz signals at 400Gbit/s using golflengtemultiplexing or wdm. The combined signals were sent over a test network of standaardglasvezelkabels. The record is the result of the attempts of researchers to the highest performance can be achieved with the current fiber optic cables, with kanaalbreedtes of 100GHz. The team made use of patented qpsk and qam techniques to a spectral efficiency of 2.55 bit/s/Hz to be achieved.
The record comes at a time when the IEEE 802.3 Industry Connections Higher Speed Ethernet Consensus group will discuss about the 400Gbit/s and 1Tbit/s-specifications for future ethernet. The question is whether a 1Tbit/s-standard is economically feasible. It would not be the first time that two specifications in a single ethernet standard be referred. That was already in the 802.3 ba standard by the IEEE 40Gbit/s and 100Gbit/s Ethernet Task Force.
