These ‘glass straw’ optical fibres could speed up the Internet
Researchers have developed a novel type of hollow optical fibre — sometimes called a “glass straw” — that channels light through an air core instead of solid glass. This design significantly reduces signal loss, allowing data to travel longer distances without needing frequent boosts. The result: data cables could carry more information more efficiently and over wider spans, cutting equipment costs. Unlike conventional fibres, which suffer from absorption and scattering inside solid glass, these hollow fibres offer a lower-loss path for light by minimizing the interaction with material. Early experiments have demonstrated promising transmission performance, hinting that this technology could transform long-haul telecommunications networks. If adopted broadly, these new fibres might accelerate Internet speeds, lower energy consumption, and support the growing demands of data-hungry applications such as cloud computing, streaming, and beyond.
The Key points
- The new fibres are hollow (air-core), unlike typical solid glass optical fibres.
- Air core reduces absorption and scattering losses that normally occur in glass.
- Lower signal loss enables longer transmission distances without amplifiers.
- Increased efficiency could cut costs for long-haul data links.
- Early trials show these hollow fibres perform well in laboratory settings.
- They could carry more data per “strand” compared to conventional fibres.
- Potential to lower energy needs in telecom infrastructure.
- Could help meet rising bandwidth demands from streaming, AI, cloud use.
- Challenges remain in manufacturing and integrating with current systems.
- If scaled, this innovation may reshape future Internet infrastructure.
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