Alcatel-Lucent claims data speed record

Alcatel-Lucent has claimed a world record for data transfer after demonstrating transmission of optical data at 25.6 terabits per second (Tbps) over a single fibre strand.

The company said that its breakthrough infrastructure offers enough bandwidth to transmit the information from more 600 DVDs in one second.

These results, achieved using 160 Wavelength Division Multiplexed channels, far surpass the previous transmission record of 14Tbps established in September 2006.

Alcatel-Lucent's experimental system transmitted the data through three 80km spans.

The data used wavelength division multiplexing in the 'conventional' and 'long' wavelength bands and employed polarisation multiplexing in each wavelength to double the total capacity.

Distributed Raman amplification was used to increase the received optical signal-to-noise ratio and to allow the use of a single dispersion-compensating fibre for both bands after each span.

Alcatel-Lucent was helped by scientists from the National Institute of Information and Communications Technologies in Tokyo and Sumitomo Osaka Cement in Chiba, Japan.

"Optical networking is a critical enabler of the broadband IP revolution we are seeing throughout the world today," said Romano Valussi, president of Alcatel-Lucent's optics activities.