Researchers from Japan and the UK have smashed the world record for fiber-optic communications through commercial-grade fiber by producing data rates four times as fast as existing commercial systems. They achieved this by using optical amplifiers to boost signals across less frequently used communication bands. The system can push 402 terabits per second (Tbps) through the kinds of fiber-optic cables that are already in the ground and underneath the oceans. The researchers believe that it may be possible to push even further and reach up to 600 Tbps speeds.