TOKYO — The world record for internet speed has been broken by engineers at Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, according to a press release by the institute. <br /> <br /> <br />The engineers demonstrated a data transmission rate of 319 terabits per second using optical fibers running over 3,000 km or 1,864 miles. Those speeds are almost twice the previous record, set just a year ago, according to New Atlas. <br /> <br /> <br />According to Science Alert, the system works by transmitting data using technology called wavelength-division multiplexing. First, light signals are beamed from a laser that splits them into 552 channels. <br /> <br /> <br />These signals are then sent down the four optical fiber cores, where the previous record used three. <br /> <br /> <br />As the signals travel through those cores, at intervals of 70 kilometers or 43.5 miles, amplifiers doped with the rare earth elements thulium [g]and erbium [h]reduce transmission loss. Signals are sent then into another segment of optical fiber, before the entire process repeats itself. <br /> <br /> <br />The four optical fiber cores are the same diameter as a conventional single core fiber, including the protective cladding around it, which means the new method could be easily compatible with existing infrastructure, though the press release did not outline a timeline for any consumer application. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />
