Internet speeds have hit unprecedented rates as researchers from Aston University transferred 301 terabits of data per second using a new wavelength band in optical fibre transmission. Compared to average broadband speeds in the UK, this record-breaking transmission is 4.5 million times faster; at this speed, it will only take one minute to download every movie ever made.
There is no doubt that fibre optic advancement is promising for various use cases, but its implications for cryptocurrency and how we interact with it are the most exciting. Mining, transactions, network expansion, and managing digital wallets will likely change as fibre broadband connections continue to evolve.
Defining fibre broadband today
Fibre broadband uses fibre optic cables to transfer data. Fibre networks are made up of glass tubes that carry data as light beams from one end to the other. Because of this light-based travel, data speeds are substantially faster than cable networks.
Most residential and commercial spaces use fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) connectivity. In this setup, the connection from the cabinet to the point of connection switches from fibre to copper or aluminium. While this is still more stable and efficient than older alternatives, having the router connected to a non-fibre line still risks interference and damage.
As such, the current standard for business and demanding residential districts is full fibre cable connections. Also referred to as fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP), this setup sees fibre optic cabling going from the cabinet to the actual property. This enables faster giga speeds, symmetric downloads and uploads, unlimited bandwidth, and more reliable connectivity.
Full fibre lines offer up to 2000 megabits per second, which allows users to maximise the power of new connection benchmarks like Wi-Fi 6. Fibre broadband can also achieve higher peak speeds with lower latency than 5G, which is already considered the industry norm for cellular technology and capacity.
Adopting full fibre for cryptocurrency
The growth of fibre technology feels right on time, colliding with the emerging trends in cryptocurrency. The market is now leaning into new decentralised applications and faster transactions, with the likes of Base steadily growing in users. As a whole, identity-verified cryptoasset users have also hit a peak at 575 million.
With huge strides in crypto, there is a need for reliable high-speed connections. Blockchain developers will likely be able to deploy builds that can better utilise this for ledger transactions thanks to the bandwidth increase from full fibre connections. On top of this, cryptocurrency’s reliance on a decentralised network marks a need for servers to be constantly online as senders and recipients communicate. The current state of full fibre already caters to this, especially for users who require timely transactions while market prices are favourable.
Researchers aim to implement the new fibre optic wavelength bands into public use as soon as possible, so this level of connectivity will also likely contribute to the perspective on cryptocurrency ownership. Experts note that the market is still dynamic, making future ownership patterns challenging to pin down. With broader access to unlimited bandwidth, the potential for mass accumulation of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies feels more achievable. Additionally, high-speed broadband combined with cloud storage could benefit the trend toward long-term holding and strategic trading.
This trend requires using Bitcoin nodes, which work as payment gateways and distribution channels. The most secure example of this is Bitcoin Core, which requires users to do an initial download of 600 gigabytes of data. After this, users must maintain it with monthly downloads ranging from five to 10 gigabytes. Even if you have the storage necessary for this, the speed and reliability of fibre broadband will be imperative to these constant massive downloads and uploads.
Finally, the advent of full fibre marks a new age in crypto mining. The current standard is to have at least one Gigabit of bandwidth per day to maintain mining operations. It is also necessary to keep the mining rig running 24/7, which requires always-on internet with good latency (ping no higher than 30ms) and no traffic buffering. With fibre optic technology becoming more robust, dedicated mining farms will inevitably reach new productivity heights. For more news and articles on coin investing and cryptocurrency, visit the rest of the site.
