An international team of researchers led by the University of Tokyo has set two consecutive new Internet2 Land Speed Records (I2-LSR), reaching a record breaking speed of 9.08 Gbps (Gigabits per second) over 30,000 km or 19,000 miles network in the IPv6 single and multi-stream categories.

IPv6 or (Internet Protocol Version 6) is the next generation of internet addressing standard, developed to increase the number of addresses available for networked devices.

Sponsored by Internet2 LSR, the open and ongoing competition for the highest-bandwidth, end-to-end networks, awards the winner of the fastest rate at which data is transferred multiplied by the distance traveled.

For the first set of IPv6 records, a team from the University of Tokyo, WIDE Project, NTT Communications, JGN2, SURFnet, CANARIE, Pacific Northwest Gigapop and other institutions collaborated to create a network path over 30,000 kilometers in distance, crossing 6 international networks - over ¾ the circumference of the Earth.

As a result, the team successfully transferred data in the single and multi-stream categories at a rate of 7.67 Gbps which is equal to 230,100 terabit-meters per second (Tb-m/s). The new record setting attempt leveraged standard TCP to achieve the new mark.

The next day, the team used a modified version of TCP to achieve an even greater record. Using the same 30,000 km path, the network was able to achieve a throughput of 9.08 Gbps which is equal to 272,400 Tb-m/s for both the IPv6 multi and single stream categories.

Again, the team surpassed the current IPv4 records, proving that IPv6 networks are able to provide the same, if not better performance as IPv4.

Dr. Kei Hiraki, professor at the University of Tokyo and LSR team leader said, “These records are final for the 10Gbps network era because they represent more than 98% of the upper limit of network capacity. Through collaboration by a number of institutions, we have demonstrated the ability to overcome the distance and achieve this newest mark.”

The new records mark the ninth and tenth time a University of Tokyo-led team, which has achieved an Internet2 Land Speed record.

Launched in 1996, Internet2 is a non-profit advanced networking consortium comprising more than 200 U.S. universities in cooperation with 70 leading corporations, and 45 government agencies.