China has launched the "world's fastest" internet connection.

A project led by the Chinese Academy of Engineering has seen technicians able to transmit 1.2 terabits per second - which is the equivalent of transferring 150 films per second - as part of its backbone connection, beating out the typical 100 gigabits per second rate seen around the world and the specialist 400 gigabits per second seen in some places in the US.

At a press conference, Project leader Wu Jianping from the Chinese Academy of Engineering said: "The superfast line is not only a successful operation, but also gives China the advanced technology to build an even faster mass internet infrastructure."

It had previously been speculated by industry experts that transmitting 1 terabits per second would not be possible until at least 2025 but now an joint effort between Tsinghua University, China Mobile, Huawei Technologies, and Cernet Corporation has seen the development of the infrastructure that spans over 1,860 miles of optical fibre cabling.

Earlier this week, Wu described the technological move as "unprecedented" but hinted that it could reach the mainstream at some point.

He said: "The FITI project is unprecedented across the world. It is open to society and is capable of supporting experimental trials of innovative network structures.”