Lumenisity, a research team supported by Microsoft, has published its research results in the renowned journal Nature Photonics, detailing a novel type of hollow-core fiber cable known as the "Dual-Nested Anti-Resonant Nodeless Fiber" (DNANF). At a wavelength of 1550 nanometers, this fiber demonstrates an impressively low signal loss of merely 0.091 decibels per kilometer, surpassing the performance of commercial silica fibers.

By facilitating the transmission of photons through air, the DNANF effectively minimizes transmission delays and nonlinear effects. It incorporates a multi-layer glass tube architecture that effectively suppresses higher-order modes. This design is characterized by low attenuation rates and minimal spectral range losses. Notably, its dispersion rate is just one-seventh that of conventional fibers.

Already, approximately 1,200 kilometers of this innovative fiber have been deployed. Microsoft has ambitious plans to extend this deployment to 15,000 kilometers over the next two years. The utilization of this ultra-low-loss fiber can lead to a reduction in the number of signal amplifiers required, ultimately resulting in cost savings.