Japan's sets new internet speed record, is 16 million times faster than India's average

Japanese researchers have achieved a groundbreaking internet speed of 1.02 petabits per second , creating a new world record that is 3.5 million times faster than the average US internet connection and an astounding 16 million times faster than India's average speed of 63.55 Mbps.

The record-setting achievement was accomplished by Japan 's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology ( NICT ) working with Sumitomo Electric and European partners. Their innovative 19-core optical fiber cable transmitted data at unprecedented speeds over 1,808 kilometers, roughly equivalent to the distance from London to Rome.

To put this speed in perspective, the new technology could theoretically download the entire Netflix library in under one second or massive 150GB video games like Warzone in the blink of an eye. The average U.S. broadband speed of 290 Mbps pales in comparison to the 1,020,000,000 Mbps achieved in this test.

19-core cable creates a data superhighwayThe breakthrough lies in the cable's design: instead of using a single light path, the fiber squeezes 19 separate cores into the same standard diameter as existing cables. This creates what researchers describe as a "19-lane superhighway" for data transmission while maintaining compatibility with current infrastructure.

The team overcame traditional signal degradation challenges by developing sophisticated amplification systems that boost signals across multiple wavelength bands simultaneously. Using 180 wavelengths with advanced signal processing, they maintained signal strength over the extended distance.

Lab success paves way for AI-driven internet futureWhile this technology remains in laboratory testing, it represents a crucial step toward meeting future data demands. As global internet traffic continues to surge, driven by AI applications, autonomous vehicles, and billions of connected devices, such advances offer hope for expanding network capacity without requiring entirely new infrastructure installations.