Sean Feeney
Architect of the digital age

Single Fiber Channel Network Speed Record Broken

21 December 2006

Reuters reported today that Siemens AG has joined the party, smashing the previous record for transmission rates over a single fiber channel using "exclusively electrical means." They maxed out at a speed of 107 gigibits per second before running out of steam -- that's reportedly a full 2.5 times faster than the previous record for a single fiber channel. What's more, they did it outside of the laboratory, using an existing a 100 mile-long fiber optic route in the U.S. According to Siemens, this record is particularly significant as it will reduce the need to split signals into a number lower data-rate channels in order to avoid bottlenecks, ultimately resulting in networks that are both faster and cheaper for customers. It looks like we'll still have to wait a while before we can take advantage of the speedy new technology, however, with the first prototype products based on it still a few years away.

Posted in fiber, networking