New technique doubles the distance of optical fibre communications

[Sabre]

UCL

A new way to process fibre optic signals has been demonstrated by UCL researchers, which could double the distance at which data travels error-free through transoceanic sub-marine cables.

The new method has the potential to reduce the costs of long-distance optical fibre communications as signals wouldn’t need to be electronically boosted on their journey, which is important when the cables are buried underground or at the bottom of the ocean.

As the technique can correct the transmitted data if they are corrupted or distorted on the journey, it could also help to increase the useful capacity of fibres. This is done right at the end of the link, at the receiver, without having to introduce new components within the link itself. Increasing capacity in this way is important as optical fibres carry 99% of all data and demand is rising with increased use of the internet, which can’t be matched by the fibres’ current capacity, and changing the receivers is far cheaper and easier than re-laying cables.

To cope with this increased demand, more information is being sent using the existing fibre infrastructure with different frequencies of light creating the data signals. The large number of light signals being sent can interact with each other and distort, causing the data to be received with errors.

That's a pretty incredible achievement. With people chewing up bandwidth at an ever increasing rate, this could not have come fast enough either!

[zaxrex]

You can hear the contracts for trans-oceanic projects with fiber cable companies being shredded now