Japanese researchers have achieved 112 Gbps wireless transmission at 560 GHz, using a photonic approach designed to overcome phase noise problems in terahertz communication.
Phase noise has long limited high-frequency wireless systems. Above 350 GHz, traditional electronic systems often struggle with jitter, weak power output, and speeds of only a few gigabits per second.
The latest result could help shape future 6G infrastructure, especially wireless backhaul links that connect cell towers without relying on physical fiber.
Microcombs Solve A Major Problem
Teams from Tokushima University, the University of Tokyo, and Gifu University used soliton microcombs to address the phase noise issue.
These microcombs work like optical rulers. They split laser light into stable and evenly spaced frequency lines, creating ultra-low noise carriers that avoid the limits of conventional electronic terahertz sources.
The system reached 84 Gbps using QPSK modulation and 112 Gbps using 16QAM modulation. Both results were achieved at a 560 GHz carrier frequency.
According to research published in Nature Communications Engineering, this is the first time researchers have crossed 100 Gbps beyond 420 GHz.
“This result represents a major step toward practical 6G wireless systems and ultra-high-speed mobile backhaul,” said Prof. Takeshi Yasui of Tokushima University.
Built For Real Infrastructure
The breakthrough is not only about speed. The researchers also focused on making the system more practical for real deployment.
They permanently bonded optical fiber directly onto silicon nitride microcombs. This prevents the alignment drift that can weaken fragile lab setups.
The team also added thermal regulation and climate proofing. As a result, the device can shrink to around the size of a fingernail while staying stable enough for infrastructure use.
Where It Could Be Used
The technology is aimed at 6G backhaul applications where laying fiber is difficult or expensive.
Possible use cases include dense urban small cells, temporary event networks, and remote installations. These are situations where operators need fiber-class capacity without installing actual fiber.
However, the system is meant for short-range, line-of-sight links. It is not designed for wide area consumer coverage.
That means smartphones are unlikely to use 560 GHz directly. Instead, the cell towers serving those phones could eventually rely on this type of wireless backhaul.
6G Timeline Still Years Away
Faster backhaul could lead to more consistent multi-gigabit service for demanding uses such as real-time cloud gaming and 8K streaming.
However, commercial use is still years away. 6G standards are not expected to be finalized until the late 2020s, with real-world deployment likely to follow later.
For now, the research provides an important building block for future network infrastructure and shows how photonic technology could help deliver ultra-high capacity wireless links for the next generation of connectivity.
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