UCL EEE Researchers Set New Fibre Optic Transmission Speed Record

Researchers from UCL Electronic and Electrical Engineering have set a new fibre optic data transmission record, demonstrating the potential of existing network infrastructure.

Researchers from UCL Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE) have contributed to a new world record in fibre optic data transmission, achieving speeds of 450 terabits per second over an existing, commercially deployed optical fibre link.

Led by Professor Dame Polina Bayvel, the work highlights the department’s leading role in optical communications research and its impact on next-generation data infrastructure. The results were presented as a post-deadline paper at the Optical Fibre Conference (OFC) 2026, a distinction reserved for a small number of the most significant and record-breaking advances in the field.

The team demonstrated the transmission between UCL’s Roberts Building and a London data centre, showing that significantly higher data capacity can be achieved using existing fibre networks through advanced transmission techniques.

By expanding the range of optical frequency bands used to carry data, the researchers were able to dramatically increase the number of channels transmitted simultaneously. This approach unlocks previously unused capacity within today’s fibre infrastructure, offering a pathway to meet rapidly growing global data demand.

This new record shows the potential, unused capacity of existing optical fibre networks. Being able to adapt and expand our existing infrastructure to support more data capacity than it was initially designed for will be essential to support growing data demands including for future AI-enabled networks and AI infrastructure.”- Professor Dame Polina Bayvel

The work builds on previous record-setting achievements by the team and reflects UCL EEE’s long-standing leadership in high-capacity optical transmission systems. It also demonstrates the department’s ability to translate fundamental research into practical, real-world network solutions.

The research was carried out in collaboration with the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan, as part of an international partnership that brings leading researchers together to utilise UCL’s advanced experimental facilities.

The findings have important implications for the future of global communications infrastructure, particularly in enabling faster, more efficient connections between data centres that underpin cloud computing and AI services.