Real-Time 3.2 Pbps Fiber Link Demonstrates 32-Fold Increase Over Standard Infrastructure

Researchers from the China Information and Communication Technology Group (CICT), Peng Cheng Laboratory, and FiberHome Fujikura have demonstrated a real-time bidirectional fiber optic transmission speed of 3.2 petabits per second (Pbps). The achievement, conducted over a 10.3-kilometer link, represents a 30% increase in capacity over the same team’s previous record of 2.5 Pbps established in March 2026.

The scale of 3.2 Pbps is difficult to overstate in the context of current internet infrastructure. At this speed, a single fiber could theoretically support the bandwidth of 3.2 million gigabit home connections simultaneously. To provide a global perspective, recent estimates from TeleGeography place total international internet bandwidth worldwide at approximately 2.3 Pbps. This means the throughput achieved in this single laboratory test exceeds the combined capacity of all current international undersea and terrestrial cables.

The 3.2 Pbps capacity exceeds the estimated total international internet bandwidth worldwide.

The record was achieved using a custom 24-core multi-core fiber (MCF) paired with space-division multiplexing and an expanded spectral range. Unlike traditional single-core fibers that utilize only the C and L bands, this system incorporates the S-band to maximize total throughput. The hardware delivered a spectral efficiency of 400 Gbps per wavelength in the S-band and 1.2 Tbps per wavelength across the C and L bands.

A critical distinction in this demonstration is the “real-time” nature of the transmission. This 3.2 Pbps record was achieved using commercially compliant hardware architectures and in-house developed optical modules. This suggests the technology is closer to being viable for actual network deployment, provided the specialized 24-core fiber is installed.

The 24-core multi-core fiber (MCF) enables space-division multiplexing to maximize throughput.

The system provides roughly 32 times the capacity of current standard single-core G.652 fiber infrastructure, which typically caps out around 100 terabits per second. In practical terms, this bandwidth is equivalent to downloading 20,000 4K movies in a single second.

While the 10.3-kilometer distance is relatively short, it serves as a proof-of-concept for high-density data center interconnects and metropolitan backbone upgrades where massive throughput is required over localized distances. The transition from 2.5 Pbps to 3.2 Pbps in less than a year underscores a rapid refinement in multi-core fiber design and multiplexing efficiency.

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