This is great news! China has launched the world’s first next-generation internet service, beating industry forecasts by a staggering two years. This new backbone network, an important data backbone connecting major cities, has an impressive data transfer rate of 1.2 terabits per second. This speed is ten times faster than most major Internet routes today and marks a significant advancement in the global Internet.

A network of more than 3,000 kilometers connects Beijing, Wuhan and Guangzhou via an extensive fiber optic cable system. Officially operating since July, the reliability and efficiency of the network has been extensively tested and proven. This revolutionary achievement was the result of a joint effort involving Tsinghua University, China Mobile, Huawei Technologies and Cernet Corporation.

While most global Internet backbone networks currently operate at speeds of around 100 gigabits per second, China’s new network shatters that standard, even surpassing the US’s recent upgrade to 400 gigabits per second. The Beijing-Wuhan-Guangzhou connection is part of the ambitious Future Internet Technology Infrastructure (FITI) project, which has been in development for a decade and is the next iteration of the China Education and Research Network (Cernet).

The FITI project, led by Wu Jianping of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, aims not only to build a super-high-speed line, but also to lay the foundations for a faster Internet in the future. Wang Lei, Vice President of Huawei Technologies, underlined that the extraordinary capacity of the network is capable of transmitting data equivalent to 150 high-definition movies in just one second.

This new network is similar to a high-speed rail line that replaces several traditional lines to transmit the same amount of data, as described by Tsinghua University’s Xu Mingwei. This analogy highlights the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the new system, which simplifies management while serving a much larger data load.

In addition to its technical capabilities, the network is also critical to the country’s emerging data needs for education, research and applications such as connected electric vehicles and 5G industrial technology. The FITI project, supported by the government and managed by the Ministry of Education, is a milestone not only in Internet technology but also in China’s quest for technological independence.

Development of the network involved domestic production of all software and hardware components, marking a shift from China’s previous dependence on foreign technology. Led by Wu Jianping, the team made significant advances in routers, switches and fiber optic connections, demonstrating China’s growing prowess in Internet technology.