This image, published by the journal Nature, presents a conceptual drawing for all-optical ultra-broadband telecommunication connections developed by a Chinese research team.

BEIJING — A research team from China has made significant strides in developing an integrated communication system that bridges optical fibre and wireless networks, achieving a new world record for data transmission speed. This study was published on Thursday in the journal Nature.

The rise in demand for computing power in artificial intelligence data centres, alongside the development of next-generation 6G wireless networks, necessitates high-speed, low-latency signal transmission across diverse scenarios.

However, disparities in signal architecture and hardware between optical fibre and wireless communication systems have presented challenges in achieving high-speed, compatible end-to-end transmission between the two systems on a unified infrastructure. This issue has become a significant barrier for advancing high-speed telecommunications networks.

The research team, which includes experts from Peking University, the Peng Cheng Laboratory, ShanghaiTech University, and the National Optoelectronics Innovation Center, has successfully developed a converged communication system. This system accomplishes single-channel signal transmission rates of 512 Gbps over optical fibre and 400 Gbps over wireless.

Wang Xingjun, one of the corresponding authors of the paper at Peking University, stated that the new system supports dual-mode transmission via both optical fibre and wireless networks. This innovation not only circumvents bandwidth limitations and noise accumulation but also enhances anti-interference capabilities.

The team has modelled a large-scale 6G user access scenario, demonstrating multichannel real-time 8K video access across 86 channels. This achievement resulted in a transmission bandwidth exceeding ten times that of the current 5G standard.

Beyond facilitating ultra-large-capacity communication, the system has shown remarkable performance in terms of energy consumption, cost-effectiveness, and scalability for widespread deployment. Its all-optical architecture allows for seamless integration with existing optical networks, promoting a deep convergence between mobile access networks and optical fibre networks.

Wang highlighted the potential applications of this new system in various scenarios, including 6G base stations and wireless data centres. This advancement could significantly reshape the architecture of telecommunication systems, laying the groundwork for next-generation ultra-broadband, high-speed integrated fibre-wireless communication.