14 DAY TRIAL // You get a batch of semiconductors, put in some silicon to make the mixture homogeneous, bake it for 25 minutes at 250 degrees Celsius, then take the result, spread it evenly in a straight line over a couple of kilometers, and look really silly while doing it. Or you can just call up the researchers from the University of Tokyo who have a natural ability to breaking Internet speed records; they've done it twice in two days.
Not only that, but they used current networking topology to achieve the high data transfer rates, unlike previous attempts which used fiber channel or a new type of optical transceiver. The speed they achieved in the first run was of 7.67Gbps (981.76MB/s); the next day, after making some improvements in the protocols that were being used, they've reached 9.08Gbps (1162.24MB/s).
As I've mentioned, the topology used was the current one, 10Gbps, with the IPv6 Internet addressing system as the protocol. The data left the Internet2 network in Tokyo, went to Chicago, Amsterdam, Seattle and then, 20.000 miles later, returned to Tokyo. Although to us, mere mortals, such a transfer rate would require hardware beyond many of our home desktop capabilities, the Internet2 consortium is planning on building a new type of network which will support 100Gbps (11.25GB/s to be exact).
Now, of course this has other applications than the ones customers would normally think of, such as streaming digital content for IPTV's; but nobody thinks of one little detail: the cost for such an high bandwidth Internet connection. Being it as it may, one person would have to be filthy rich in order to afford such a line. Does anybody know if Bill Gates is looking for an Internet connection?