Home page » Networking

Search:

Think your 2Mbps Internet connection is the bee's knees? Perhaps your 8Mbps connection? 10Mbps cable? Or are you one of the lucky ones with 20Mbps ADSL2+?

Either way, we're all snails compared to this lot...

Internet2, a non-profit consortium which specialises in data transfers for universities around the globe, has this week announced a stunning new record speed of 9.08Gbps – equal to 272,400 terabit-meters per second (Tb-m/s). To put this in perspective: one gigabit per second (Gbps) is equal to 1,000Mbps. Oh yes!

This speed was achieved using the IPv6 protocol, but perhaps even more impressive was the 7.67Gbps data rate achieved 24 hours earlier which Internet2 managed using the standard (TCP) communication protocol. The old record was 6.96Gbps set in November 2005.

Of course, now you're all saying I bet the data was carried about 10cm but nope the experiment was sent over six international networks, crossing 30,000km in distance – over ¾ the circumference of the Earth (try quoting that to BT next time it protests that your home is too far away from the nearest exchange! Yes, I know it's not quite the same thing;) ).

Sadly, these speeds aren't likely to be topped anytime soon since they represent 98per cent of the networks 10Gbps capacity. Still, this isn't going to hold Internet2 back since it plans to build a new network with a 100Gbps capacity!

Crazy nutters...

Link:
Internet2 Official Press Release

Add your comment

© 2003-2008 TrustedReviews | About Us | Contact Us | Legal | Privacy | RSS