New World Record in Wireless Data Transmission Set as Speed Hits 40 Gbit/s at 240 GHz

Speed records are constantly being set. We have land speed records from just about every type of vehicle that can move. We also have speed records for swimmers and runners. Now we have another new speed world record. This time the record is in wireless data transmission.

Researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics and the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT) have achieved a wireless transmission rate of 40 Gbit/s at 240 GHz. This was accomplished over a distance of slightly over half a mile. The institute’s most recent demonstration sets a new world record. As an added benefit, it ties in seamlessly with the capacity of optical fiber transmission.

This is the type of radio link that will be able to provide broadband Internet by supplementing networks in rural areas and places where access is difficult. Service provides are trying to extend their reach into rural areas and provided them with fast speed connections.

According to Phys Org, a science, research and technology news website, researchers have now set a new world record in wireless data transmission. Fully integrated electronic transmitters and receivers have been developed for a frequency of 240 GHz. This allows for the transmission of data at speeds of up to 40 Gbit/s.

To put that into perspective, those speeds are equivalent to the transmission of a complete DVD in under a second. KIT has set up transmitters between two skyscrapers as part of a project called “Millilink.” Professor Ingmar Kallfass, who is with the University of Stuttgart said, "We have managed to develop a radio link based on active electronic circuits, which enables similarly high data rates as in fiber-optic systems, therefore allowing seamless integration of the radio link."

Jochen Antes of KIT followed this comment by saying, “This makes our radio link easier to install compared to free-space optical systems for data transmission. It also shows better robustness in poor weather conditions such as fog or rain. Improving the spectral efficiency by using more complex modulation formats or a combination of several channels, i.e. multiplexing, will help to achieve even higher data rates.”

The semi-conductor technology developed at Fraunhofer IAF, based on transistors with high carrier mobility (HEMT), makes it possible to use the frequency between 200 and 280 GHz with active transmitters and receivers in the form of compact, integrated circuits. Using this higher frequency range allows for a very compact technical assembly.

The size of electronic circuits and antennae scales with frequency. Because of this, the transmitter and receiver chips only measure in at 4 x 1.5 millimeters. A solution that is compact in size yet delivers on power.

We have recently talked about KIT developments on the Wearable Tech website. Researchers in this growing space have developed what comes close to being a cloak of invisibility. This cloak can conceal thermal signatures. This in turn, makes the wearer invisible to thermal imaging.