Data has been sent across a wide-area optical network at 101Gbit/sec., the fastest-ever sustained data transmission speed, equivalent to downloading three full DVD movies per second, or transmitting all of the content of the Library of
Congress in 15 minutes.

It was demonstrated by a High Energy Physics research team that included the California Institute of Technology, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratories (FNAL).

Future optical networks, incorporating multiple 10Gbit/sec. links, are expected to be the foundation of grid computing systems. By demonstrating that many 10Gbit/sec. wavelengths can be used efficiently over continental and transoceanic distances (often in both directions simultaneously), the High Energy Physics team showed that this vision of a worldwide dynamic grid supporting many-terabyte and larger data transactions is practical.