The breakthrough could provide an affordable path to upgrade existing fiber networks
The big picture: The ability to move massive amounts of data as quickly as possible continues to become more critical to our everyday lives. Earlier this month, researchers published the results of an experiment that could help increase transmission speeds exponentially using existing fiber optic infrastructure.
Why it matters: Hollow core fibers (HCF) are not a new solution per se, but the innovative design conceived by UK-based startup Lumenisity brings this '90s tech to the next level. Microsoft will now get the most out of it, optimizing its cloud platform for professional and government customers alike.
Forward-looking: Quantum entanglement would virtually eliminate all the security issues the modern internet is facing. That's the theory, at least. According to new research, there's a (theoretical) way to "steer" the entangled photons to avoid information loss.
A new transfer record has been achieved using a single fiber optic cable
Forward-looking: Scientists from Copenhagen were able to transfer twice the size of everyday's Internet traffic through a single fiber optic cable, an unprecedented feat that could bring silicon photonics one step closer to reality with massive improvements for everyone.
Why it matters: Multiple undersea cables in the south of France were cut overnight, making Internet access unreliable globally. Engineers fixed one broken link, and investigations are still ongoing. Fingers have been pointed at Russian submarines because of the Ukraine conflict, but investigators have not yet found any evidence supporting this assumption.
Fast enough to transfer six Blu-ray discs in one second
Something to look forward to: Fujitsu has developed an optical transmission technology capable of delivering up to 1.2 Tbps per optical wave, or the equivalent of six Blu-ray discs (25 GB) per second. The new tech is superior to traditional optical networking solutions at virtually every avenue.