Japanese Researchers Broke Internet Speed World Record

Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has set a new world record with internet transmission speeds of 402 Tb/s.

According to Statista, the places with the highest average fixed broadband internet speed worldwide as of January 2024 are Singapore at 277.57 Mbps and Hong Kong at 275.17 megabits per second. For perspective, the world record speed recently achieved by NICT is 1.5 million times faster than both averages and more than 20% faster than the previous data transmission record of 321 Tbps.

Using commercially available optical cabling, the record was achieved by “constructing the first optical transmission system covering all the transmission bands (OESCLU) of the low-loss window of standard optical fibers.” NICT is optimistic that the newly developed Technology will make a significant contribution to improving the optical communication infrastructure as data services continue to increase in demand at a rapid rate.

While no regular broadband network nor top-tier gaming PC are currently equipped to handle anywhere close to 402 Tb/s, the transmission bandwidth theoretically allows for the download of approximately 12,500 full-length movies in a second.

More details can be found on the NICT website.

Images: John M Lund Photography/Getty Images

This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong