Fiber Optics Breakthrough Promises Faster Internet

Researchers have developed a hollow optical fiber design that could significantly boost internet speeds and efficiency. The "glass straw" system uses five small cylinders with nested cylinders attached to a main cylinder's inner rim, allowing light to travel through air. This design reduces signal loss by half every 33km, can carry 1,000 times more power across broader wavelengths, and enables light to travel 45% faster. These improvements could reduce infrastructure costs and benefit both conventional internet and quantum communication systems.