Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
4 min of reading 
0 comments 
New Experiment With Ultra-High Frequency Transceiver Achieves Performance Comparable to Traditional Optical Fiber, Using Mature Industrial Processes and High Energy Efficiency
The next generation of mobile communications still seems far from commercial use, but the advancements that pave the way for 6G are already starting to emerge from laboratories. A new experiment conducted by researchers at the University of California demonstrates that wireless transmissions can achieve speeds comparable to optical fiber, something that until recently was considered unfeasible outside highly controlled environments.
This information was published by the site TudoCelular.com, based on technical data presented by the engineers responsible for the project, who developed a transceiver operating in the 140 GHz range, capable of achieving 120 Gbps transmission rates. The result places the experiment far above what is currently delivered by commercial 5G networks and even Wi-Fi 7, approaching the performance of physical optical connections.
This achievement draws attention not only for its absolute speed but also for the combination of energy efficiency, industrial viability, and practical application, factors that are often the main hurdles in discussions about ultra-high frequency communications.
-
Motorola launched the Signature with a gold seal from DxOMark, tying with the iPhone 17 Pro in camera performance, Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 that surpassed 3 million in benchmarks, and a zoom that impresses even at night.
-
Satellites reveal beneath the Sahara a giant river buried for thousands of kilometers: study shows that the largest hot desert on the planet was once traversed by a river system comparable to the largest on Earth.
-
Scientists have captured something never seen in space: newly born stars are creating gigantic rings of light a thousand times larger than the distance between the Earth and the Sun, and this changes everything we knew about stellar birth.
-
Geologists find traces of a continent that disappeared 155 million years ago after separating from Australia and reveal that it did not sink, but broke into fragments scattered across Southeast Asia.
How Wireless “Optical Fiber” Works at 140 GHz
The heart of the experiment lies in the use of extremely high frequencies, close to those being studied as the basis for the future 6G standard. The 140 GHz range belongs to the spectrum known as advanced millimeter waves, where there is enormous bandwidth available, but also significant technical challenges.
Traditionally, operating at these frequencies requires complex, expensive circuits with high energy consumption. However, the researchers chose a different approach. Instead of using traditional analog-to-digital converters, known for consuming several watts of energy, the team adopted a hybrid architecture.
In this model, the system utilizes analog subtransmitters, each operating at around 230 milliwatts (mW). This choice drastically reduces total energy consumption, addressing one of the historical bottlenecks in ultra-high frequency communications. As a result, the transceiver not only achieves high speeds but also maintains efficiency levels compatible with real-world applications.
Furthermore, the architecture allows the system to be scalable, paving the way for broader implementations in corporate and industrial settings.
22 nm Process Makes the Technology Viable for Scale Production
Another decisive point of the project lies in the manufacturing process used. Instead of resorting to extremely advanced and costly nodes, such as 5 nm or 3 nm, the researchers developed the transceiver using a 22 nanometer process, widely mastered by the semiconductor industry.
This decision directly impacts the commercial viability of the technology. Mature processes offer higher yields, lower costs, and already established supply chains. In practice, this means that “wireless optical fiber” does not depend on experimental technologies or cutting-edge factories for its existence.
By defying the current logic that only extreme miniaturization yields performance gains, the project shows that intelligent architecture and systems engineering can still deliver significant leaps in efficiency and capacity.
This combination of high performance, low consumption, and accessible production processes places the experiment in a rare category among academic research: that of something that can indeed move from paper to reality.
Applications in Data Centers and the Impact in the Era of Artificial Intelligence
According to the engineers involved in the project, one of the most promising applications of the technology lies in data centers. The system can function as a kind of “wireless optical fiber cable”, connecting racks and servers via ultra-fast links without the need for traditional physical cabling.
This concept has profound implications. Modern data centers face increasing challenges related to infrastructure costs, cabling complexity, cooling, and energy consumption, issues that intensify with the advancement of artificial intelligence, edge computing, and the processing of large volumes of data.
By replacing part of the physical cables with ultra-high-speed wireless links, it would be possible to reduce material volume, improve airflow, decrease points of failure, and optimize the internal reorganization of data centers. Additionally, operational flexibility would increase, allowing quicker reconfigurations as computational demand grows.
Despite this, the researchers themselves acknowledge that there are still significant challenges ahead. Such high frequencies have limited range and are more sensitive to physical obstacles, requiring advanced solutions for alignment, coverage, and signal stability. Even so, the experiment represents a concrete step towards functional 6G networks, capable of supporting autonomous devices, intelligent systems, and nearly instantaneous massive data exchanges.
Source: Tudo Celular
-
-
6 pessoas reagiram a isso.