Wireless optical networks in indoor environments have achieved new record speeds and efficiencies

What’s new in wireless technology
Wireless optical networks (BONS) promise to replace radio waves indoors but will not fully displace Wi‑Fi and cellular connectivity. Their main goal is to offload “data streams” in closed spaces, improving speed and energy efficiency.

How the breakthrough works
- The SPIE team (International Society for Optics and Photonics) unveiled a compact chip array of lasers.

- Size: < 1 mm².

- Composition: a 5×5 matrix of VCSEL lasers, each transmitting its own data stream.

- Optical directionality is achieved with micro‑lenses that create a uniform beam grid up to 2 m without channel overlap.

- In lab tests the system reached 362.7 Gb/s, dozens of times faster than conventional Wi‑Fi and cellular networks.

Energy efficiency
- Roughly 1.4 nJ per bit of information, about half the energy used in radio communication.

- This means that with growing network demand, power consumption can be significantly reduced.

Multichannel operation
- Each of the 25 lasers can operate independently; 21 were active in the experiment.

- When serving multiple users simultaneously, each receives its own high‑speed stream (up to 19 Gb/s per laser).

- Tests included four separate channels, confirming the system’s ability to partition traffic.

Where it will be useful
- Offices, hospitals, data centers, residential spaces—places with high device density and limited radio spectrum.

- The technology won’t replace Wi‑Fi or mobile networks but will complement them:

- Frees up network radio components.

- Enables VR, HD video, IoT devices to connect with minimal load on the power system.

Conclusion
Wireless optical networks open a new path toward fast, secure, and energy‑efficient wireless systems of the future. Their compactness allows chips to be integrated into standard access points, lamps, and other devices, providing instant high‑speed internet right next to the user.