The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Sumitomo Electric and research collaborators demonstrated an aggregate transmission rate of 1.02 petabits per second over 1,808 km in 2025. That is about 127,500 gigabytes per second in decimal units—not one million GB/s—and it was a research experiment using specially designed optical fiber, not a home internet service.
What Japan’s 2025 milestone actually measured
NICT and Sumitomo Electric announced the result on May 29, 2025. The team reported 1.02 petabits per second over 1,808 km, with a capacity-distance product of 1.86 exabits per second-kilometer. NICT said the result was presented at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC 2025) on April 3, 2025. NICT’s announcement describes a transmission-capacity experiment, not a consumer broadband test.
The fiber was a coupled 19-core design with a standard 0.125 mm cladding diameter. Sumitomo Electric designed and manufactured the fiber; NICT and its collaborators developed and demonstrated the transmission system, including simultaneous amplification across the 19 cores.
Why “1 million GB per second” is the wrong conversion
Bits and bytes are different units: one byte contains eight bits. Dividing NICT’s 1.02 petabits per second by eight gives 127.5 terabytes per second, or 127,500 gigabytes per second using decimal networking units. The 127,500 GB/s figure is a unit conversion of NICT’s reported rate, not a separate measurement by NICT.
#1 Best Overall
- Optical digital audio cable: Perfect for equipment with a TOSLINK interface (OPT In / OPT Out or S/PDIF In / S/PDIF Out). TOSLINK connector to TOSLINK connector (F05 connector)
- Versatile: Ideal for transmitting crystal-clear digital audio from your TV, video game console (PS3/PS4/Xbox One), DVD/Blu-ray player, or TV streaming box to a soundbar, amplifier/amp, stereo/Hi-Fi system, D/A converter, and more
- High-End: This metal-free fiber optic audio cable, featuring a fully flexible PVC jacket, is entirely immune to electrical interference. Each cable undergoes multi-stage testing during manufacturing to ensure maximum product quality and durability
- 24K gold-plated connectors: Corrosion resistant gold plating keeps connectors clean. And because these cables are fiber optic, they provide 100 % signal transmission with 0 % loss
- No risk: 36 months manufacturer warranty
A rate of one million GB/s would correspond to about eight petabits per second—far above the demonstrated 1.02 petabits per second. The accurate headline figure is therefore 1.02 Pb/s, or approximately 127,500 GB/s.
How the team reached 1,808 km
The distance came from a recirculating-loop experiment, not a single 1,808 km cable route between two cities. Each of the 19 loops included an 86.1 km section of multicore fiber, and the signals made 21 passes through the loop.
Rank #2
- Please REMOVE the end protective caps before using the cable.
- IN THE BOX: 6-foot digital optical audio Toslink cable.
- CLEAR AUDIO: Multi-channel, fiber-optic digital audio output; corrosion resistant gold-plated connectors and buffer tubing for optimal signal transfer.
- DURABLE: Lightweight, flexible cable with a rugged PVC exterior and removable rubber tips that protect the cable when not plugged in; remove before using.
- CONNECTS DEVICES: Quickly connects a sound bar, CD player, Blu-Ray player, game console, or other device to an audio system or TV.
The system carried signals on 180 wavelengths across the C and L bands, used 16QAM modulation and optical amplifiers, and relied on a receiver and digital signal processing to compensate for interference between cores. These conditions are integral to interpreting the aggregate capacity: it is not the speed available to an individual user over ordinary single-core home fiber.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Is this the speed of Japanese home internet?
No. The result demonstrates what a specialized research transmission system can carry under experimental conditions. It does not describe a household connection, a typical fiber-optic plan, a single subscriber’s throughput or a retail service available in Japan. NICT presents the work as a step toward future long-distance, high-capacity communications infrastructure.
Rank #3
- 【Extra-Long 10ft Cable for Flexible Setup】iVANKY 10ft optical audio cable provides just the right length to connect your devices comfortably - no more struggling with cables that are too short. Enjoy the same pristine, lossless audio quality while having the freedom to arrange your home theater, gaming system, or audio components exactly how you want
- 【Ultra-Clear Audio Quality with Japan Toray Original Fiber Core】iVANKY optical audio cable uses Japan Toray Original Fiber Core to deliver zero-distortion, lossless audio. This toslink cable is compatible with uncompressed PCM audio and compressed 5.1 to 7.1 surround sound systems, including Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD High Resolution, and LPCM. This digital optical audio cable ensures a wide dynamic range for an immersive listening experience
- 【Universal Device Compatibility】This optical cable for soundbar and home theaters connects seamlessly to a wide range of devices with standard Toslink (s/PDIF, Optical) ports, such as TVs, Soundbar, Speaker, Receiver, PS4, Xbox, Blu-Ray players, and more. It’s perfect for anyone looking to enhance their audio setup with a fiber optic cable that works flawlessly across multiple devices
- 【24K Gold-plated Connectors & Superior Durability】 Unlike conventional PVC jackets, iVANKY optical cable features a high-quality nylon braided jacket that withstands over 16,000 bends, making it highly durable and resistant to breakage. The aluminum shell and 24K gold-plated connectors prevent tarnishing and maintain conductivity over time, ensuring long-lasting performance
- 【Precision Design】The precisely designed cuboid connectors of this digital optical audio cable make installation easy and secure. The flexible and lightweight nylon material ensures hassle-free handling. Additionally, removable rubber caps protect the connectors from dust and oxidation when not in use. CL3-rated, this cable is also designed for in-wall installation, providing flexibility for your setup
How the result compares with later NICT demonstrations
NICT reported two separate results after the May 2025 multicore-fiber experiment. They use different fiber and transmission conditions, so their rates should not be treated as a simple like-for-like ranking.
| Announcement | Reported result | Setup described by NICT |
|---|---|---|
| May 2025 | 1.02 Pb/s over 1,808 km; capacity-distance product of 1.86 Eb/s-km | Specially designed coupled 19-core fiber in a recirculating-loop experiment. NICT, May 29, 2025 |
| November 2025 | 430 Tb/s | A separate demonstration using commercially available standard-compliant cutoff-shifted fiber and a technique combining few-mode and single-mode transmission. NICT, November 2025 |
| June 2026 | 450 Tb/s over a 39 km fiber path | A field demonstration on deployed legacy fiber in London: 19.5 km between University College London and Telehouse North, traversed in both directions. NICT, June 2026 |
The 2026 result is notable for operating over field-deployed fiber, while the 2025 1.02 Pb/s result reported a higher rate under a different experimental setup. NICT lists these as distinct demonstrations on its Photonic Network Laboratory page. A fair comparison needs more than the largest number: it should identify bits versus bytes, fiber type and cores or modes, distance and loop use, laboratory versus field conditions, and whether the figure is capacity alone or a capacity-distance product.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 【Rugged Outdoor-Grade TPU Jacket】This armored fiber optic cable features a thick industrial TPU jacket with excellent tensile strength, UV resistance, abrasion protection, and waterproof performance. Built for long-term reliability in harsh environments like snowfields, deserts, mountain ridges, tunnels, coastal zones, rooftops, factories, roadside trenches, and construction sites. Supports direct burial, conduit routing, or overhead use. Available in 5m to 300m lengths for residential and commercial deployments.
- 【Dual Armored Construction for Protection】Built with a stainless steel spiral armor tube and inner fiberglass yarns, this outdoor fiber cable provides double-layer mechanical protection against crushing, rodent chewing, sharp bending, and pulling stress. With an outer diameter of 5.0mm, it offers significantly more resistance to physical damage than standard 3.0mm fiber cables, making it ideal for direct burial, industrial campuses, outdoor conduits, and environments with heavy foot or vehicle traffic. Engineered for long-term durability in harsh conditions.
- 【Pre-Installed Pulling Eye for Easy Deployment】The cable comes pre-terminated with a swivel pulling eye kit on one end, allowing for efficient and safe pulling through conduits, ducts, bridge trays, risers, telecom manholes, and underground raceways. It eliminates the risk of fiber damage during long-distance installations. The pulling eye cover is removable and reusable, making it ideal for multi-phase construction, structured cabling, building backbone links, outdoor trench routing, industrial campuses, and FTTH deployments across large properties.
- 【OM3/OM4 High-Speed Transmission up to 100Gbps】This armored fiber optic cable uses 50/125μm multimode fiber to support high-speed Ethernet connectivity. At 850nm wavelength, OM3 supports 10Gbps up to 300m, 40Gbps up to 100m, and 100Gbps up to 70m; OM4 extends these distances to 400m, 150m, and 100m respectively. Ideal for data center backbones, enterprise LANs, telecom rooms, FTTH deployments, server farms, campus networks, SAN/NAS storage interconnects, broadcast studios, control systems, surveillance backhauls, and other high-density, high-bandwidth fiber optic infrastructure.
- 【Space-Saving Uniboot & Broad Device Compatibility】LC uniboot connectors reduce cable clutter and enable quick polarity reversal—ideal for dense patching environments. This cable supports 1G/10G/25G/40G/100G SFP/SFP+/XFP/QSFP+ modules, and integrates smoothly with Ethernet switches, routers, firewalls, ONU/OLT terminals, media converters, patch panels, NICs, NVR systems, fiber mux/demux units, and industrial control equipment. Compatible with Cisco, Ubiquiti, Mikrotik, Juniper, HPE, Arista, TP-Link, Netgear, Intel, Fortinet, Zyxel, Mellanox, Supermicro, Huawei, ZTE, Brocade, D-Link, and others.
Rank #4
- Optical digital audio cable: Perfect for equipment with a TOSLINK interface (OPT In / OPT Out or S/PDIF In / S/PDIF Out). TOSLINK connector to TOSLINK connector (F05 connector)
- Versatile: Ideal for transmitting crystal-clear digital audio from your TV, video game console (PS3/PS4/Xbox One), DVD/Blu-ray player, or TV streaming box to a soundbar, amplifier/amp, stereo/Hi-Fi system, D/A converter, and more
- High-End: This metal-free fiber optic audio cable, featuring a fully flexible PVC jacket, is entirely immune to electrical interference. Each cable undergoes multi-stage testing during manufacturing to ensure maximum product quality and durability
- 24K gold-plated connectors: Corrosion resistant gold plating keeps connectors clean. And because these cables are fiber optic, they provide 100 % signal transmission with 0 % loss
- No risk: 36 months manufacturer warranty
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Recommended Free Tools
