- The internet backbone connection connects three cities along 1,846 miles
- The new network is capable of transferring 1.2 terabytes of data per second
China has smashed the record for the fastest internet connection, launching a blisteringly fast service that can transfer 150 high-definition movies every second.
The 1,864-mile (3,000km) fiberoptic cable stretches almost the entire length of the country, connecting Beijing, Wuhan, and Guangzhou.
Capable of transferring 1.2 terabytes of data per second, the ultra-highspeed internet backbone is three times faster than the US’s fastest connection and 10 times faster than most major routes.
The launch also beats industry deadlines by two years, with terabyte speed services not expected to launch until at least 2025.
While the network was activated on July 31, it was only officially launched during a press conference held on Monday after performing well in tests.
China’s network offers transfer speeds of 1.2 terabytes per second – quick enough to download 150 high-definition movies per second (stock image)
Tsinghua University, one of China’s leading academic institutions, collaborated with China Mobile, Huawei and the China Education and Research Network (CERNET) to develop the network.
As a ‘backbone’ connection, the ultra-highspeed service will form part of the internet’s core connections which transfer vast quantities of data between different computer networks.
Only last year the US upgraded its internet backbone service, Internet2, to reach speeds of 400 gigabytes per second.
Around the world, however, most backbone services are over 10 times slower than China’s new connection and only transfer around 100 gigabytes per second.
Speaking at the press conference, Wu Jianping, dean of the Network Research Institute of Tsinghua University said that the backbone would give China the ‘advanced technology to build an even faster internet’.
Mr Jianping added that the backbone ‘provides important technological reserves and will surely become China’s important contribution to the development of the global next generation Internet.’
Backbone networks like this one are essential for the rapid growth of data-driven industries, and support 5G networks that allow for self-driving cars and industrial vehicles.
Wu Jianping, of Tsinghua University, said that the updated internet backbone would provide important technological reserves for China
Xu Mingwei of Tsinghua University compared the network to a superfast train which replaces 10 regular tracks used to carry the same amount of cargo.
This single network would be cheaper and easier to manage, Mr Mingwei claimed.
Importantly for China, the network only uses Chinese-made components and software.
China has become concerned about its reliance on the US and Japan for components such as routers.
Everything in the new backbone, however, is domestically produced with the research teams having made advances in a broad range of areas.
In particular, Mr Jianping and his team created their own superfast internet router, which is capable of handling more data than any previous model.
In China, internet users face a strict regime of censorship which restricts access to Western news outlets and limits discussion of sensitive topics.
China’s ‘Great Firewall’ prevents Chinese internet users from accessing sites like Facebook, Google, Instagram, or Wikipedia.
The search engines which operate in China have 66,000 rules to control access to content that might be deemed politically sensitive according to a report by Citizen Lab.
Likewise, ChatGPT has now been banned in the country for producing responses that the Chinese Communist Party would otherwise censor.
