[imagesource: James Tye / UCL]

I’m old enough to remember when connecting to the internet was preceded by a series of robotic noises loud enough to wake the entire house.

For a trip down memory lane, I’m referring to these noises.

The speed of said internet was also a massive downer, but thankfully we have come a very long way since then.

Recently, researchers from University College London (UCL) created the fastest-ever internet connection, smashing the previous record by a considerable margin.

The Independent reports:

[The team] were able to transmit data at 178 terabits per second. The speed is double the capacity of any system currently used in the world, and a fifth faster than the previous record.

The connection is so fast that it would be able to download the entire Netflix library in just one second.

It is also getting close to the theoretical limit of data transmission, first proposed by American mathematician Claude Shannon in 1949.

Ponder just how vast the Netflix library is (you’ve spent hours scrolling through it already), and the fact that it could be downloaded in a single second is all the more remarkable.

For the more tech-minded, here’s how the researchers achieved the speed:

The increased speed is possible because the researchers were able to transmit data through a much wider range of colours than normally used in optical fibre. By combining different amplfiier technologies, they could make the best use of the properties of light that transmitted the data, allowing them to specifically manipulate each individual wavelength.

Speeds like these are lovely, I’m sure, but not entirely necessary.

Here’s what connection speed the average South African home needs at any point:

• 2 – 8 mps:
  Suitable for a single user with entry-level requirements e.g. internet browsing, email. Excellent reliability compared to ADSL.
• 10 – 40 mps:
  Suitable for a household, fast downloads & streaming Showmax, DSTV Now and Youtube. You will notice a big step up from the average ADSL service.
• 50 – 100 mps:
  Perfect for households with many people using multiple devices for streaming and downloading Netflix, Youtube, Showmax, DSTV Now, gaming etc.

If you fall into the 10-40mps user category, RSAWEB can connect you with home fibre starting from as little as R595 a month.

Sign up before September 4, and you’ll score one month free on all Openserve packages (live areas only), as well as a free Mini-UPS on all 30mbps and up packages.

A UPS (uninterrupted power supply) will keep you online, even when the inevitable load shedding kicks in.

To see which fibre packages are available in your area, head here and type in your address. From there, you can select the speed and price package that best suits your needs.

There’s no need to download the whole of Netflix in seconds. It’s a marathon, not a race.

[source:independent]