Wireless data transmission speed is faster than ever before, with a transfer rate of six gigabits per second, a new world record. Researchers at Germany’s University of Stuttgart and the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF topped the speed in April over a distance of 37 kilometer, or 23 miles.
The speed project, called Advanced E Band Satellite Link Studies or ACCESS, began with broadcasting towers set up in Cologne and Wachtberg, 36.7 kilometers (22.8 miles) apart. Digital Journal reported that data “was then wirelessly transmitted over the connection using radio waves in the 71 to 76 GHz frequency range.” Millimeter waves used by terrestrial broadcasters were used to transfer the data in the study. At this speed, the researchers told Digital Journal that bandwidth could be “split up to provide 250 homes with 24 Mb/s broadband, a rate typically viewed as a borderline between high-speed and super-fast.”
While the signals are usually lost at this rate of speed and distance, new transmitters and receivers called monolithically integrated millimeter wave circuits (MMICs) were used in this study. Digital Journal noted that these transmitters amplify the broadband signals to a high 1W power so they can travel longer distances. Receivers equipped with low-noise amplifiers then detect weaker signals while traveling over distances. While the new speed has been recorded, there are still many strides to take before this phenomenon can be implemented commercially.
Smaller networks will reduce power requirements, aiding in cost effectiveness. 4G LTE networks now operate on less power than ever before, and alternative power sources such as solar panels are ideal for rural areas. Britton also suggested solutions that leverage “virtual cores and smaller hardware footprints,” which can bring 4G LTE to all Americans, not just the ones in popular areas.
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