World record of wireless data transmission: 6 Gbit / s at 37 kilometers
Engineers from the Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Physics of Solid Body with colleagues from the University of Stuttgart, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Radiometer Physics set a new world record of wireless data transmission 36.7 km between the receiver and transmitter. The transfer rate reached 6 Gbit / s, which is an order of magnitude greater than any existing solutions today.
The radio transmission was carried out in the range of 71-76 GHz (E band), reserved for terrestrial and satellite broadcasting. Only in this range of millimeter waves are there bands available for transmitting very large amounts of data.
Scientists have designed a very powerful transmitter, as well as a receiver capable of amplifying a weak signal. Both devices used microwave monolithic integrated circuits (MIS) - integrated circuits for solid-state technology, designed to operate at ultrahigh frequencies. These are usually used in cellular and satellite communication systems, but in this case, engineers have developed an MIS with improved characteristics. Perhaps in the future, such technology will find application in public commercial communication devices, including between satellites.
The radio signal in the transmitter was amplified to a level of 1 W with the help of power amplifiers manufactured using gallium nitride (GaN). Transmission was carried out through a directional parabolic antenna.
The transmitter was installed at the 45-storey Uni-Center office building in Cologne, and the receiver was installed at the space observation radar in Wachtberg. Aiming the transmitter from the 45-storey Uni-Center building in Cologne to the space surveillance radar station in Wachtberg, its dome is visible in the photo just below the crosshair of the sight. In turn, low-noise amplifiers based on high-speed transistors using gallium-indium arsenide were manufactured for the receiver (InGaAs ). Broadband radio communication is extremely important for creating a new generation network infrastructure and a satellite-wide network. True, the scientific work of German specialists has not yet been reviewed and has not been published in the public domain, so for now it remains to believe their word for it.
Press release of the Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Physics of Solid Body