Researchers from University College London (UCL) have set a new world record in wireless data transmission, paving the way for faster and more reliable wireless communication.
The team successfully transmitted data through the air at a speed of 938 gigabits per second (Gbps) over a record frequency range of 5-150 gigahertz (GHz).
This speed is 9380 times higher than the best average 5G download speed in the UK, which currently stands at 100 megabits per second (Mbps) or more. The total bandwidth of 145 GHz exceeds the previous world record for wireless data transmission by more than five times.
Typically, wireless networks transmit information using radio waves in a narrow frequency range. Modern wireless data transmission methods, such as Wi-Fi and 5G mobile communication, primarily operate at lower frequencies below 6 GHz.
However, congestion in this frequency range limits the speed of wireless communication.
Researchers from UCL's Electronic & Electrical Engineering department have overcome this "bottleneck" by transmitting information across a significantly wider range of radio frequencies, for the first time combining radio and optical technologies. The results are detailed in a new study published in The Journal of Lightwave Technology.