German scientists beat data transfer record

Computer users who despair over slow Internet connections should take heart -- German scientists have broken a speed record, sending data contained on 700 DVDs over a single laser beam, in one second.

The scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Monday said they had broken the world record by sending data at a speed of 26 terabits per second.

The data, sent over 50 kilometers (31 miles) on a single laser beam, was coded thanks to a system known as orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) in which the laser beam is divided into separate colour streams.

"With 26 terabits per second, you can simultaneously transmit up to 400 million telephone calls per second," said Professor Juerg Leuthold of the institute in a statement.