Researchers break Internet speed records
By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet WriterTue Apr 24, 6:33 PM ET
A group of researchers led by the University of Tokyo has broken
Internet speed records twice in two days. Operators of the
high-speed Internet2 network announced Tuesday that the researchers
on Dec. 30 sent data at 7.67 gigabits per second, using standard
communications protocols.
The next day, using modified protocols, the team broke the record
again by sending data over the same 20,000-mile path at 9.08
Gbps.
That likely represents the current network's final record because
rules require a 10 percent improvement for recognition, a
percentage that would bring the next record right at the
Internet2's current theoretical limit of 10 Gbps.
However, the Internet2 consortium is planning to build a new
network with a capacity of 100 Gbps. With the 10-fold increase, a
high-quality version of the movie "The Matrix" could be sent in a
few seconds rather than half a minute over the current Internet2
and two days over a typical home broadband line.
Researchers used the newer Internet addressing system, called IPv6,
to break the records in December. Data started in Tokyo and went to
Chicago, Amsterdam and Seattle before returning to Tokyo. The
previous high of 6.96 Gbps was set in November 2005.
Speed records under the older addressing system, IPv4, are in a
separate category and stand at 8.8 Gbps, set in February
2006.
The Internet2 is run by a consortium of more than 200 U.S.
university. It is currently working to merge with another
ultrahigh-speed, next-generation network, National
LambdaRail.
The announcement of the new record was made at the Internet2
consortium's spring meeting, which ends Wednesday in Arlington,
Va.
