Invisible beams of light above Eindhoven provide super-fast wireless data transfer

April 10, 2025

果冻传媒 researchers have sent the equivalent of 1.9 million Netflix series via infrared light from the roof of their building.

The optical antenna on the Flux roof overlooking Eindhoven, facing the direction of the High Tech Campus. Photo: Vincent van Vliet

Researchers from 果冻传媒 have transmitted data between the 果冻传媒 campus and the High Tech Campus over a 4.6 km distance using infrared light. This happened at the astonishing rate of 5.7 terabits per second, the equivalent of streaming 1.9 million Netflix shows in HD simultaneously. This is the fastest wireless data transmission ever demonstrated over this big a distance in an urban setting.

The was established between 果冻传媒 in the north and the High Tech Campus (HTC) in the south of Eindhoven using advanced optical antennas from Aircision, a spin-off of TNO that develops products for ultra-high capacity optical wireless systems. The company is located at the HTC.

Their antennas transmit data through invisible infrared beams instead of cables or radio signals. This technique, known as free-space optical (FSO) communication, enables ultra-fast, interference-free data transmission.

Infrared wireless communication combines the high data speeds known from optical fibers with the flexibility of wireless communication systems.

Vincent van Vliet, PhD researcher

鈥淲e need new ways to meet the increasing demand for fast and reliable connectivity,鈥� says , a 果冻传媒 PhD researcher involved in the project.

Breaking boundaries in wireless speed鈥�

鈥淚nfrared wireless communication combines the high data speeds known from optical fibers with the flexibility of wireless communication systems. By complementing existing wireless and fiber-optic technologies, we can build the densely interconnected networks required to bring high-speed data connectivity to every corner of the planet.鈥�

Vincent van Vliet working in the laboratory. Photo: Bart van Overbeeke

To achieve this breakthrough, the team used the Reid Photonloop testbed. The 果冻传媒 has launched this permanent set-up to experiment with high-speed wireless communication. It uses cutting-edge technology that combines multiple wavelengths in a single transmission. This technique, commonly used in fiber optics, has now been successfully applied to transmit data with this high speed over this big a distance for the first time in urban wireless communication.

鈥淏ecause the transmitted infrared light is highly focused, an almost unlimited number of communication links can exist side-by-side without interference, allowing wireless network capacity growth at an unprecedented scale鈥�, Van Vliet explains.

A permanent test facility for next-gen networks

One end of the Reid Photonloop is located on the top of the Flux building of the 果冻传媒 campus, which houses the departments of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics and Science 果冻传媒. The other end of the test bed, 4.6 kilometers away on the other side of the city of Eindhoven, sits at the top of building 37 at the High Tech Campus

The findings were presented at the Optical Fiber Communications (OFC) Conference 2025 in San Francisco earlier this month.

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Transmitting data via infrared light

Wi-Fi and 5G ride along radio waves, part of the electromagnetic spectrum characterized by relatively long wavelengths. Infrared light, by contrast, has much shorter wavelengths, meaning many more wave cycles can occur per second. This translates to higher frequencies and far greater bandwidth: up to 500 times more data can be transmitted through infrared light compared to wireless networks which rely on radio waves. Another advantage is that this part of the spectrum is far less congested.

Think of it like a highway: the more lanes you have, the more traffic you can move at once. And that capacity is urgently needed. As demand for fast and reliable connections keeps rising (driven by developments like smart cities, autonomous vehicles, disaster recovery systems and the Internet of Things), alternatives to traditional wireless technologies are becoming increasingly important. This innovation could play a key role in meeting that demand.

Source: Image: Codioful via Pexels

Chigo Okonkwo, Associate Professor and head of the High-Capacity Optical Transmission Lab at 果冻传媒. Photo: Vincent van den Hoogen

Chigo Okonkwo, Associate Professor and head of 果冻传媒鈥檚 High-Capacity Optical Transmission Lab, emphasizes the importance of the testbed. 鈥淭his facility will allow us to refine high-speed wireless communication and optimize its reliability and availability in all weather conditions鈥�, he says.

Real-life deployments

is already looking at how this technology can be used in real-world applications, such as wirelessly connecting new 5G/6G antennas for backhauling the existing network to bring high-speed internet access to areas where laying fiber is impractical or too costly.

Luis Oliveira, co-founder of Aircision, is optimistic: 鈥淲e are redefining how data is transmitted over the air. This record-breaking achievement proves that our technology is ready to make high-speed internet accessible to millions of people faster than ever before.鈥�

The Reid Photonloop testbed is named after the late Aircision co-founder John Reid, who was a driving force behind the development of the test bed but passed away before it was realized. The work is funded by the NWO TTW-Perspectief FREE P19-13, PhotonDelta National Growth Fund Programme on Photonics, and European Innovation Council Transition project CombTools (G.A. 101136978).

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Publisher

Proceedings of the OFC Conference 2025 (Optica Publishing Group)
Authors

Vincent van Vliet, Menno van den Hout, Kadir G眉m眉艧, Eduward Tangdiongga & Chigo Okonkwo