The race to build faster wireless networks has just taken a major step forward.
Researchers at Tokushima University have successfully demonstrated an ultra-fast wireless connection operating at 560 gigahertz (GHz), reaching speeds of 112 gigabits per second (Gbps).
The breakthrough could help pave the way for future 6G communication systems that may one day support incredibly fast downloads, real-time virtual reality, advanced AI services, and massive amounts of connected devices.
Today’s wireless technologies already struggle to keep up with the growing demand for data.
As engineers move toward 6G, they are exploring much higher frequencies in the terahertz range, far above the frequencies used in current 5G networks.
These extremely high frequencies can carry huge amounts of information, but they are also very difficult to generate and control.
Traditional electronic systems face major problems above 350 GHz. Signals become unstable, power levels drop, and unwanted noise increases. These issues make it hard to build reliable ultra-high-speed wireless systems.
To solve this problem, the research team developed a new communication system based on something called a “soliton microcomb.”
A microcomb is a tiny optical device that creates many highly stable light frequencies at once, almost like the evenly spaced teeth of a comb. In this case, the microcomb was used to generate a very clean and stable terahertz signal with low noise.
The researchers built a compact system using a silicon nitride microresonator directly connected to an optical fiber. This design removed the need for extremely delicate optical alignment, making the system smaller, more stable, and easier to operate. The setup also allowed the device to handle stronger optical power and maintain stable performance over long periods of time.
To improve reliability even further, the team added temperature control to keep the optical resonance stable even when environmental temperatures changed.
During the experiment, the researchers generated two highly stable optical signals using the microcomb system. These signals were encoded with data using advanced modulation methods called QPSK and 16QAM. The optical signals were then converted into a 560 GHz terahertz wave and transmitted wirelessly.
At the receiving end, the transmitted data was recovered using a special detection technique known as heterodyne detection. The system achieved wireless speeds of 84 Gbps using QPSK and an even faster 112 Gbps using 16QAM.
According to Professor Takeshi Yasui, the achievement represents an important step toward practical 6G wireless systems and future ultra-high-speed mobile backhaul networks.
The researchers believe this technology could become an important foundation for future photonic-wireless integrated networks. In the future, they hope to reduce signal noise even more, support more advanced data formats, and increase transmission distance by improving terahertz power and antenna design.
The study was published in the journal Communications Engineering.
