Key facts
- China activated the world's first three-band optical fibre communication system.
- The system can carry over five times the traffic of conventional systems.
- It uses the S-band, C-band, and L-band within a single fibre.
- The technology was developed by China Mobile and partners.
- The system is being tested on a 35km link in Qingdao.
China has activated the world's first three-band optical fibre communication system, a development that its creators believe could significantly enhance the capacity of future AI networks. The system, operational since early June, allows a single fibre to transmit more than five times the traffic of conventional systems, with transmission capacity per core increasing by nearly half.
The project, completed in Qingdao, Shandong province, is a collaboration between state-owned telecommunications giant China Mobile and its industry partners, including Hengtong Optic-Electric. The 35-kilometer (21.7-mile) link serves as a commercial test bed for next-generation optical networking technologies, connecting major computing facilities within the city.