A group of Chinese scientists announced the creation of a communication device that could play an important role in the development of 6G networks. equipment based space optical switching technologiesIt was launched for in-orbit testing in August 2023. The device installed on the satellite can transmit light signals without converting them into electrical pulses. The team from the Xi’an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported that the tests in space were successful.

Conventional communication switching devices usually convert light signals into electrical signals during the transmission process. However, this traditional photon-electron-photon method has an “electronic bottleneck” effect; The optical approach can maximize the speed and capacity of data exchange systems. The new method could reduce the costs of building dedicated communications facilities.

A team of Chinese scientists devoted more than a decade to the development of a device that increases the capabilities, flexibility and speed of information transfer. “Next generation communication networks, including 6G, will go beyond terrestrial communication and should be a global network including satellite nodes.”, – developers are confident. According to an article they published last year, the new technology currently supports data transfer speeds of 40 gigabits per second.

Traditionally, “downlink” communication is based on the use of a radio signal, but the data transfer rate is relatively low due to the limited frequency range used. Therefore, lately, more and more attention has been paid to optical information exchange technologies, especially lasers. Laser bandwidth can potentially reach several hundred gigahertz, allowing more data to be packed in each transmission.

Scientists are confident that it will be difficult for traditional switching devices to exceed the 100 GB/s transfer rate threshold due to bandwidth limitations. Therefore, the development of a more advanced optical information exchange system is vital. “This is especially true for interplanetary communications, as optical switching will be more efficient, fast, compact and cheaper.”– researchers are confident.

Despite the latest discovery made by the Chinese team, researchers say there is still a long way to go before the new technology can be put into practical application. China’s satellite internet, including space-based optical switching technology, still lags behind the United States’ because some of the most important components and technologies are held by American companies. Currently, many companies in the industry, such as Elon Musk’s Starlink, are experimenting with the optical method of inter-satellite data transmission. Source