BONN, Germany, May 24 -- Deutsche Telekom has successfully tested Lucent Technologies' 40-Gb/s optical networking technology over a distance of 72 miles (116 kilometers). The results of the 40 G test, which achieved transmission speeds four times faster than today's commercially available systems, showed that Lucent's next-generation technology can be used in existing optical networks and can work over long distances.
    Lucent's 40 G system is based on time division multiplexing technology (OC-768/STM-256), which transmits voice, video and data, using a single laser over a single wavelength of light. About eight million one-page e-mails can be transmitted with this technology in just one second. In a recent report by telecommunications market research firm RHK Inc., Lucent was cited for "demonstrating solid 40 G capabilities." Designed by Lucent's Bell Labs, the 40 G system operates over a variety of fiber types and enables carriers to increase network speed and maximize fiber use, while also reducing cost, equipment and space requirements. For instance, the 40 G technology would save space in telecommunications centers because one system offers the same capacity as four 10 G systems. In addition, the system requires only a quarter of the optical fibers needed for four 10 G systems. Both of these aspects would reduce per-bit transmission costs, the company said.