Bell Labs Sets Record for Multimode Fiber Transmission

HOLMDEL, N.J., Oct. 14 -- Scientists from Bell Labs have succeeded in sending data at 10 Gb/s over 1.6 km of Lucent's LazrSPEED multimode fiber for local area networks, setting a world record for multimode fiber transmission. The Bell Labs team had previously demonstrated 10-Gb serial transmission over 300 meters of prototype multimode fiber -- later introduced as LazrSPEED -- in a system using worst-case field conditions.
Prior to Bell Labs' 10-Gb/300-m demonstration in May 1999, the maximum transmission capacity for practical multimode systems was thought to be less than 300 meters. The team employed an 850-nm vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) transmitter in both demonstrations; this transmitter has been projected to offer the lowest total system cost while retaining cost-effective backwards compatibility with lower speed legacy applications.