Faster internet? Electrical engineers break power and distance barriers for fiber optic communication

Photonics researchers have increased the maximum power -- and therefore distance -- at which optical signals can be sent through optical fibers. This advance has the potential to increase the data transmission rates for the fiber optic cables that serve as the backbone of the Internet, cable, wireless and landline networks. The new study presents a solution to a long-standing roadblock to increasing data transmission rates in optical fiber.