Impossible to imagine a wireless connection 9000 times faster than current 5G? Yet, this breakthrough seems within reach. Researchers at University College London are on the verge of revolutionizing our technological standards.
Records are meant to be broken, and that's exactly what they've done. By reaching nearly 1 Terabit per second, they are pushing the limits of wireless transmission.
This lightning-fast speed is made possible through the use of a broad frequency range, from 5 to 150 GHz. For each section of this range, adapted technologies were employed to optimize performance.
Digital-to-analog converters handled the frequencies from 5 to 75 GHz. For the higher frequencies, light was used to generate signals (thanks to millimeter-wave photonics), ensuring precise and fast transmission.
Professor Zhixin Liu, who leads the team, believes that this innovation could redefine how we use wireless networks in the future. The technological leap is immense.
For the moment, 6G exists only in laboratories. However, discussions with smartphone manufacturers hint at a near future where this technology could be integrated into our devices.
This feat by UCL comes just a few months after another record set by a Japanese team. With nearly a 30% gain, the race for speed is intensifying.
Ultimately, this technology could redefine network management during high-traffic events. Network overload could soon be a distant memory.
Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing
Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a data transmission technique that divides a broad frequency band into several narrower subcarrier signals. Each subcarrier transports a portion of the data independently. This allows for more efficient use of the frequency spectrum, reducing interference and signal loss.
OFDM is especially useful for transmitting data over long distances or in crowded environments. Thanks to this method, each channel is orthogonal to the others, meaning they can coexist without interfering with each other. OFDM is used in many modern technologies, like 4G, 5G, and now in research for 6G.
Photonics applied to millimeter waves
Photonics applied to millimeter waves uses light to produce radiofrequency signals, particularly in the millimeter-wave range (frequencies between 30 and 300 GHz). These waves, smaller than traditional radio waves, enable the transmission of large amounts of data over short distances.
Photonics is crucial in this process because it converts optical signals into high-frequency radio signals. It utilizes equipment like lasers, whose frequencies are stabilized to produce highly precise light beams. These beams are then converted into electromagnetic signals capable of rapidly transmitting information while ensuring high precision.
This technology is essential for the development of networks like 6G. It allows for the use of very high frequencies, thereby offering a broader bandwidth and, consequently, a much greater data transmission capacity.
Author of the article: Cédric DEPOND