According to experts, even 5G mobile communications technology and fiber-optic networks will not be able to meet the demand for transmission capacity in the long term. The Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz Institute (HHI) is thus developing next-generation wireless transmission systems (Beyond 5G) that are based on terahertz (THz) technology and enable transmission capacities of several 100 Gbit/s - a five to tenfold increase over existing radio technologies. The transmission uses frequencies far beyond the 4G LTE/5G mobile radio frequencies, thus complementing existing technologies.

Together with their colleagues from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics (IAF) , the HHI researchers have for the first time now succeeded in transmitting a 4K video in real time via a wireless THz link, thus achieving a data rate of 100 Gbit/s over an extended period of time. Potential THz technology applications are, for example, the high bit-rate connection of users in rural areas or device-to-device communication. Some of the THz technology work at Fraunhofer is being made market-ready together with international partners in the EU project TERRANOVA.