Japan sets new fiber optic speed record with 1.02 petabits per second
Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has shattered previous data transmission records by achieving a groundbreaking rate of 1.02 petabits per second—equivalent to a staggering 127,500 gigabytes per second—over a distance of 1,802 kilometers (roughly 1,120 miles), according to a report by CNET. This speed is over 350,000 times faster than the average fixed broadband speed in the U.S., which sat at around 289 Mbps in May 2025, per Speedtest. At this rate, you could download the entire Netflix content library in under a second.
The breakthrough hinges on a newly developed optical fiber cable featuring 19 distinct cores—far beyond the single-core configuration used in most modern infrastructure. Remarkably, despite this complexity, the fiber maintains the standard 0.125-millimeter diameter, allowing it to be installed within existing networks. This multi-core design enables the transmission of 19 simultaneous data streams, significantly boosting overall capacity while minimizing data loss through more uniform light conduction.
To sustain the record-setting transmission across the full 1,802-kilometer range—comparable to the distance between New York and Chicago—the signal was amplified 21 times along the way. This is a massive leap forward from NICT’s previous achievement in 2023, which reached half the data speed over only a third of the distance. Improvements in both signal amplification and loss reduction have been key enablers of this advancement.
What makes the achievement especially promising is its potential for near-term implementation. Because the new fiber matches the size of standard optical cables, it can be integrated into existing infrastructure without major overhauls—offering a pathway to meet the world’s surging data demands. With global data traffic rising at roughly 50% annually, according to Nielsen’s Law, this kind of scalable technology may become increasingly critical.
While the record is still pending independent verification, NICT’s demonstration underscores how continued innovation in fiber optics could drastically reshape the future of global communications, especially in regions struggling with broadband expansion.
