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Chinese team builds first commercial ‘3-lane highway’ in optical fibre to boost capacity

Newly activated system allows substantially more data to travel through existing infrastructure

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A 35km link connects major computing facilities in Qingdao and serves as a commercial testing bed for next-gen optical networking technologies, according to Shanghai business media. Image: Shutterstock
Chao Kongin Beijing

China activated the world’s first three-band optical fibre communication system early this month, technology that its developers say could expand the carrying capacity of future AI networks.

According to the project team, a single fibre can carry more than five times the traffic of conventional systems, while transmission capacity per core increases by nearly half.

The project, completed in Qingdao in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, was jointly developed by state-owned telecommunications giant China Mobile and its industry partners, including Hengtong Optic-Electric.
The S+C+L three-band – short-wave band plus conventional communication band plus long-wave band – ultra-low loss multi-core optical cable line was put into operation in Qingdao this month. Photo: Handout
The S+C+L three-band – short-wave band plus conventional communication band plus long-wave band – ultra-low loss multi-core optical cable line was put into operation in Qingdao this month. Photo: Handout

The 35km (21.7-mile) link connects major computing facilities in the city and serves as a commercial test bed for next-generation optical networking technologies, according to a report by Shanghai Securities News on June 3.

The newly activated system simultaneously uses three transmission windows – the S-band, C-band and L-band – within a conventional optical fibre, allowing substantially more data to travel through existing infrastructure. In a China Mobile statement, the approach was compared to expanding “a two-lane motorway into a three-lane highway” without building an entirely new road.

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