Breaking of the 3 Gbps Wireless Speed Barrier: Doorway to New Possibilities

In a significant outbreak, Japanese researchers are reported to exceed a 3 Gbit per second wireless link at 542 GHz that may cater to a never ending demand for more voice data and wireless text messaging.

With this development, the possibility of Super Wi-Fi has increased. If commoditized, the proof-of-concept technology from by Tokyo Institute of Technology can offer a useful point-to-point link. Yet, there could still be the problem of penetration through non-conducting materials.

Considerably, the use of femtocells in some applications is not clear, in spite of the fact that lower frequencies are likely to have better range to pass through almost any object. Which is the main reason; wireless technologies began from the lower end. Now, that the lower end is filled with analog radio followed by TV, the mobile telephony had to be pushed on to 900 MHz. Subsequently, with the arrival of 3G, it got further drifted to 2.1 GHz despite the presence of many hurdles that the band had to face in penetrating through various objects like buildings, walls and atmosphere as well. As a matter of fact there are wireless spectrum licenses and commercial fixed links that run up to 80 GHz. There are also few frequencies exceeding these bandwidths from some wireless carriers resulting in few wireless spectrums beyond 100 GHz for unlicensed utilization if there are any takers.

With high cost of signal generating and detection equipment, it’s a challenge to exploit the upper end of the spectrum as there are not any particular issues with the waves themselves. For instance, 300GHz radio signals need a special technology that makes a body-scanner an expensive devise. In the midst of the year 2011, Korean semiconductor called ROHM succeeded to bear a 1.5 Gb per second connection at 300 GHz with the use of a technology somewhat similar to that of the Japanese research team.

ROHM still works on the technology and is expected to run 30 Gb per second links in the coming years. With this capacity, complete penetration of the atmosphere as well as concrete objects would also be possible except for the conductive material.

The range called 'T-Ray' spectrum has a wide range of wavelengths. 300 GHz radio wave has a wavelength that occupies just one millimeter, whereas 3,000 GHz (three terahertz) is a tenth of a millimeter. The recent researches establish the fact that there is wireless spectrum that is still there to be filled that too without recalibrating the already existing devices.