(Image Credit: palo)
Telecommunications firm BT has reached a landmark 3Tbps transmission speed in collaboration with Chinese network vendor Huawei. The partners say this is likely the fastest real-world transmission achieved outside of controlled laboratory conditions, accomplished using existing fibre and commercial equipment.
Consumers are increasingly seeking higher speeds as bandwidth-heavy services—such as cloud computing and 4K video streaming—become more common across the UK.
The record-setting transmission ran over a 359 km fibre link between BT’s Adastral Park research campus in Suffolk and the BT Tower in London. To increase capacity, the teams used an advanced flexgrid architecture that allows denser channel packing on the fibre.
Conventional channel spacing is 50 GHz. By reducing that spacing to 33.5 GHz and employing flexgrid techniques, the spectral efficiency of the fibre increased by roughly 50%, enabling significantly higher throughput on the same physical infrastructure. BT previously set a speed record of 1.4Tbps in partnership with Alcatel-Lucent, using 35 GHz spacing over a 410 km link.
“Flexgrid technology is evolving quickly, and this trial has been invaluable in demonstrating the feasibility of this emerging technology in a real, truly testing environment,” said Neil J McRae, chief network architect at BT. “Combined with BT’s continuing investment in its network infrastructure, this outstanding breakthrough suggests we’re well-prepared for a future where new and exciting services are delivered by faster, more data-hungry applications.”
McRae added that the trial highlights how operators can maximise the value of existing network investments, extending the life of core fibre infrastructure while meeting the growing demands of a digital society.
Earlier coverage noted another BT–Huawei collaboration on G.fast technology, where recent trials have achieved up to 800Mbps over copper lines—an attractive option because of the low cost and wide availability of existing copper infrastructure in many homes.
BT has invested billions into its network, and government funding via the Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme has supported wider deployment and upgrades. These public and private investments aim to ensure that homes and businesses can access the higher speeds required by modern applications.
Do you think BT and Huawei’s record-breaking trial points to a promising future for high-capacity networks? Share your thoughts in the comments.