---
title: "China Transmits 128 Tbps Over 1007 km via Hollow-Core Fiber: World Record Set"
description: "Chinese researchers from China Telecom, YOFC, and ZTE have transmitted 128 Tbps of data over 1007 km using hollow-core fiber, setting a world record. Latency was 3.43 ms versus 5 ms for standard fiber."
date: 2026-11-10T18:18:34.796Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/china-hollow-core-fiber-1000km-record
tags: [hollow-core-fiber, optical-fiber, china, data-transmission, telecom, zte, yofc, china-telecom]
author: "Alexander Buran, Roman V."
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# China Transmits 128 Tbps Over 1007 km via Hollow-Core Fiber: World Record Set

![A person holds a thin transparent hollow-core fiber optic strand against the light](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/10/kitay-rekord-poloe-optovolokno-1000-km-128-tbit/kitay-rekord-poloe-optovolokno-1000-km-128-tbit-1.webp)

## Key Points

- China conducted the first publicly known test of an HCF hollow-core fiber communication line 1007.48 km long.
- Total throughput reached 128 Tbps (64 Tbps in each direction over one fiber), with one-way latency of 3.43 ms at 1000 km compared to ~5 ms for standard fiber.
- The line was a laboratory array of 300+ coils of 2–5 km each, utilizing commercially available telecom equipment.
- Participants: China Telecom, YOFC, ZTE; main challenge was suppressing CO2/CO absorption in the gas core.
- The project is targeted at backbone lines as part of the 'Eastern Computing for Western Data' strategy.

When all hardware capabilities for increasing data transfer speeds and reducing latency are exhausted, hidden reserves come into play. One of them is Hollow Core Fiber (HCF): light travels through its gas-filled core at a speed close to the speed of light in a vacuum, which is about a third faster than in conventional glass. It was on this type of fiber that Chinese researchers conducted the first publicly known trial of a communication line exceeding 1000 km, setting a world record for data transmission distance using a hollow core.

### First 1000-kilometer experiment

A reminder that the technology is already operational came last year: Microsoft began using HCF fiber to connect its data centers over distances of up to 50 kilometers. The Chinese experiment has taken the technology to a fundamentally new scale. Three parties participated in the test: the China Telecom research institute, fiber optic cable manufacturer YOFC, and ZTE, a telecommunications equipment manufacturer. The joint team deployed an experimental line 1007.48 km long.

### Important caveat: laboratory array, not a backbone

A key detail to consider when evaluating the result: the line was not a trunk line laid in the ground or through the air. It was a laboratory-assembled array of more than 300 fiber optic coils, each containing 2 to 5 km of fiber. Moreover, the deployment used standard, commercially available telecommunications equipment, making the result reproducible and practically significant, rather than purely academic.

### 128 Tbps total and 3.43 ms latency

Data was transmitted simultaneously in both directions over a single fiber at a speed of 64 Tbps in each direction, meaning the total throughput reached 128 Tbps. The one-way latency over 1000 km was 3.43 ms, compared to approximately 5 ms for transmission over conventional solid-core fiber. This reduction in latency by hundreds of percent in relative terms is significant for high-speed computing and networking applications.

### How gas absorption was overcome

The main technical challenge was to suppress light absorption in the operating wavelength ranges caused by gases within the core, particularly carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Improved fiber manufacturing technology made it possible to solve this task and bring losses to a level acceptable for transmission over a thousand kilometers.

### Strategic context: "Eastern Computing for Western Data"

Unlike Microsoft's experience, which focused on relatively short distances between data centers, Chinese developers are implementing this project specifically for backbone data lines, where the benefits of a hollow core will be maximized — including for transmitting data for artificial intelligence systems and handling large volumes of information. This fits into the national "Eastern Computing for Western Data" strategy: powerful computing clusters are being created near energy generation sources, many of which are located in the east of the country, while data is primarily generated in centers of business and scientific activity in the west. Under such conditions, increasing the throughput of backbone lines "from scratch" — without laying new cables — takes on strategic importance.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [В Китае установили мировой рекорд дальности передачи данных по оптоволокну с полой сердцевиной](https://3dnews.ru/1151110) - Primary source: 1007.48 km length, 128 Tbps total, 3.43 ms latency, participants China Telecom/YOFC/ZTE, lab array of 300+ coils, CO2/CO absorption suppression, 'Eastern Computing for Western Data' strategy.
- [В Китае установили мировой рекорд дальности передачи данных по оптоволокну с полой сердцевиной](https://3dnews.ru/1151110/v-kitae-ustanovili-mirovoy-rekord-dalnosti-peredachi-dannih-po-optovoloknu-s-poloy-serdtsevinoy) - Duplicates primary source (3dnews.ru/1151110), facts consistent.
- [Мировой рекорд по одновременному запуску подводных дронов установили в Китае](https://www.inform.kz/ru/mirovoy-rekord-po-odnovremennomu-zapusku-podvodnih-dronovustanovili-v-kitae-10328db8) - Topic (underwater drones, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xian Tianhe Haifang) is unrelated to fiber optics; excluded from article.

## FAQ

### What is hollow-core fiber and why is it faster than conventional fiber?

In hollow-core fiber (HCF), light travels not through glass but through a gas-filled core, making its speed close to the speed of light in a vacuum—about a third faster than in ordinary glass. This reduces transmission latency.

### How long was the Chinese line and was it a real backbone?

The experimental line was 1007.48 km long, but it was a laboratory-assembled array of over 300 coils (2–5 km each), not a line laid in the ground. It used standard, commercially available telecommunications equipment.

### What speeds and latencies were achieved?

Data was transmitted in both directions over a single fiber at 64 Tbps each, totaling 128 Tbps. One-way latency at 1000 km was 3.43 ms, compared to ~5 ms for standard solid-core fiber.

### Who participated in the experiment?

Participants included the China Telecom research institute, fiber manufacturer YOFC, and telecommunications equipment company ZTE.