Institute For The Future

Terahertz Wireless

Terahertz wireless was a popular theme in our joint survey with IEEE last year. It's interesting too as a sort of end-state for the evolution of wireless technology, like the limits to Moore's Law we see in chip design. Of course we'll see workarounds, but it's interesting to think about how the limits of EM radiation will put a cap on maximum future wireless bandwidths over short distances. Still, it's a hell of a lot faster than Wi-Fi!

Technology Review: The Ultrafast Future of Wireless

Researchers at the University of Utah have found a way to control terahertz radiation with more precision than ever before, potentially laying the foundation for a new breed of wireless devices that can take advantage of the previously untapped frequencies. Although still years from commercialization, routers and receivers that use terahertz radiation--which technically ranges from about 100 gigahertz to 10 terahertz--could eventually pack more data onto airwaves, speeding up wireless Internet links a thousand times, says Ajay Nahata, a professor of electrical and computer engineering who led the research.