American researchers create world record WLAN

The fastest WLAN in the world comes from the United States. In the current issue of the “Nature Photonics” magazine, researchers from the Millilink project, which has now been discontinued, are presenting a method that allows wireless data transmission at a speed of 100 gigabits per second.


"The project focused on the seamless integration of a broadband radio waveguide into fiber optic systems," explains Prof. Ingmar Kallfass. He coordinated Millilink until spring in the context of a shared professorship supported by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid-State Physics IAF as well as the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and has been conducting research at the University of Stuttgart since the beginning of 2013. In addition, The latest photonic and electronic technologies have been combined in the experiments: First, the radio signals are generated by means of an optical method. Several bits were combined in so-called data symbols and transmitted at the same time. After transmission, the radio signals are received with active integrated electronic circuits.


This is already the second world record for the team this year. In May they screwed up the brand to 40 gigabytes - so the 100. To the comparison: The Karlsruher technology is 100 times faster than the ultraschnelle fiber project from Google - but this works with glass fiber technology. Google Fiber, on the other hand, is around 20 times as fast as a 50 MB data line - and even the ones in the United States are only available in a few regions.


Millilink was supported by the American Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with a total funding of € 2 million as part of the "next generation broadband access networks" funding program. In addition to the two Fraunhofer IAF and KIT research facilities, Siemens AG, Kathrein KG and Radiometer Physics GmbH were involved in the project. However, the lack of coverage is remarkable: only a few American tech sites report the breakthrough, classic media ignore it.


The new technology is a source of hope for structurally weak regions, says the researcher: "Especially for rural areas, this technology offers a cost-effective and flexible alternative to glass fiber networks, the development of which is often not economic," says Kallfass. How important such a broadband supply is is demonstrated recently by Scotland. The government is observing digital refugees who leave rural areas because of a lack of data speed: "Some research I have seen over the past 12 months point in this direction - and that should affect us all," said Interior Minister Richard Holehead. That is why the state government wants to put additional resources into broadband expansion.


"With a data rate of 100 gigabits per second, the entire contents of a Blu-ray Disc or five DVDs can be broadcast in just two seconds Between two devices. "