New record broken: Downloading the entire internet archive in 4 minutes

The new speed record was achieved by successfully transmitting data over approximately 1,800 kilometers (1,800 miles), equivalent to the distance between New York and Florida. The research results were announced at the 48th Optical Fiber Communications Conference in San Francisco on April 3.

19 FIBER IN A SINGLE CABLE

The key to this success was a new optical fiber technology that packs 19 separate fibers into a single cable. At just 0.127 millimeters in diameter, this cable is the same thickness as current standard cables. However, because the new fibers work more harmoniously with light, they experience less data loss and can reach longer distances.

This new fiber structure represents a significant improvement, covering nearly three times the distance of the previous study, which achieved similar speeds in 2023. The researchers achieved this success by overcoming technical challenges such as reducing data loss and increasing signal strength.

After being passed through the system a total of 21 times, the data completed its 1,800-kilometer journey and reached the recipient.

'IT IS POSSIBLE TO DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE INTERNET IN 4 MINUTES'

With this new speed, it's theoretically possible to download the entire Internet archive in just a few minutes. The previous record was 50,250 gigabytes per second. This new data transfer rate is more than double that record.

Japan's National Institute of Information and Communication Technology states that this achievement is an important step in the development of long-distance and high-capacity optical communication systems that can provide solutions to the increasing data demand on a global scale.

The research team now aims to explore practical applications of this technology in telecommunications. In a world of ever-increasing data traffic, such innovations could shape the internet infrastructure of the future.