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Brits Achieve 1.4 Terabits per Second Broadband Speed

Test speeds were fast enough to send 44 uncompressed HD films in one second.

If you still think of British technology in terms of Downton Abbey's first telephone, you may need to come up to 2014. According to the BBC, broadband speeds of 1.4 terabits per second were achieved during a test on a 255-mile link between central London and Ipswich. The test -- conducted by Alcatel-Lucent and British Telecom -- was fast enough to send 44 uncompressed HD films a second, according to the BBC.

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The speeds were achieved on the same fiber-optic cables installed in the UK and elsewhere, but the signals were packed together more closely. The test was completed without interference or error, according to Kevin Drury of Alcatel-Lucent, comparing the test conditions to reducing the space between traffic lanes.

While consumers won't likely benefit from the increased speeds for several years, ISPs can potentially send much more information over existing fiber without significant infrastructure investments.

 

Wayne E. Hanson served as a writer and editor with e.Republic from 1989 to 2013, having worked for several business units including Government Technology magazine, the Center for Digital Government, Governing, and Digital Communities. Hanson was a juror from 1999 to 2004 with the Stockholm Challenge and Global Junior Challenge competitions in information technology and education.