# Upgrading Fiber To The Home to terabit speeds

DevFeed: [Upgrading Fiber To The Home to terabit speeds](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/upgrading-fiber-to-the-home-to-terabit-speeds-36150.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.iljitsch.com/2024/04-09-upgrading-fiber-to-the-home-to-terabit-speeds.html>)

Author: Iljitsch van Beijnum

Published: 2024-04-09T11:16:41Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [BGPexpert](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/bgpexpert.md>)

Topics: [Network](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/network.md>), [BGP](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/bgp.md>), [Internet](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/internet.md>), [Artificial Intelligence](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai.md>)

Tags: [bgp](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bgp.md>), [cost](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/cost.md>), [network](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/network.md>), [passive-optical-network](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/passive-optical-network.md>), [performance](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/performance.md>), [pon](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/pon.md>)

## AI overview

This opinion article considers whether home fiber networks could reach terabit-class speeds. It argues that BGP should continue to support much faster links and discusses WDM, tuned lasers, passive optical buses, and PON as possible components, while identifying transmitter cost as the main challenge.

## Source excerpt

Last week, Jaap van Till asked me if BGP would be capable of supporting the terabit class interconnectivity that he foresees we'll need in the future, possibly due to the rise of artificial intelligence. He explains his reasoning in the blog post What Link speeds will we need for AI, where he quotes VAN TILL's CONJECTURE: The network connection Wide Area access speed will grow in time until it matches the internal device BUS speed of the more and more complex processors and datastores. And then concludes that 14 Tbps external links will be required in 2039. Today I can get 4 Gbps where I live. So that means a 70% speed increase per year. Let's first get that BGP question out of the way: I see no problems. 25 years ago I ran BGP over 64 and 128 kbps links without trouble. Six orders of magnitude later, BGP is still fine, and there is no reason to believe that even faster speeds will be a problem, just as long as the packet loss rates remain minimal. But what would terabit class network connectivity at home look like? Actually, I think we have all the parts to build this today. With Wavelength Devision Multiplexing (WDM), it's possible to transmit multiple data streams through a single fiber by using slightly different wavelengths/frequencies of infrared laser light. Coarse WDM (CWDM) is relatively cheap and appropriate over shorter distances, with 18 wavelengths standardized over high performance fiber. (Fewer over most existing fiber.) For long distances, dense WDM (DWDM) can use as many as 160 wavelengths over a single fiber pair. Bandwidth per wavelength is now 100 or 200 Gbps, and expected to increase in the future. So anything between say 10 x 100 Gbps = 1 Tbps and the 20 Tbps used by modern seacables should be possible. The catch is of course the cost. The difficulty is with the transmitting side, as this requires a tuned laser per wavelength. On the receiving side, the wavelengths can be split using a prism and hit a set of wideband receivers. As someone who i