The use of fiber optics in 21st century communication has radically changed the landscape for transmitting data and information from one place to another. In this blog darik elwan briefs about the more about the fiber optics.
By definition, this technology is a means of communicating information using pulses of light sent through an optical cable. These light particles become a kind of electromagnetic carrier wave configured to carry various types of signals, such as those we use in phones, the Internet and cable television.
Ancient history
Although this approach was first developed and used commercially in the latter part of the 20th century, the concept of applying optical fiber as a method of transmission dates back to the late 19th century. It was the phone's father, Alexander Graham Bell, who invented a device and called Photophone in 1880. This invention would allow sound to be transmitted, or transported, over a ray of light. Although successfully tested, it lacked the technology to safely carry a beam of light, and as a result, practical use of this development was limited.
Modern development and applications
Based on Bell's previous work, optical fibers came of age in the late 1970s. Advances in micro-fine glass cables, developments in laser applications that could send beams of light over long distances, and a growing demand for better quality and higher speeds have caused the rapid evolution of this information transmission process and its increasing use in both the public and private sectors.
Today, this methodology has reached the fourth generation. The use of newer technologies, such as optical amplification, has led to higher data transmission rates that were once considered impossible. In 2006, a single line was able to reach a speed of 14 terabytes per second. A terabyte is 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, which in any case is an immense amount of information.
Benefits of fiber optic technology
As these products continue to replace the old copper wire systems that were once a pillar of telecommunications, several distinct advantages quickly became apparent:
- More bandwidth. A single modern fiber can carry up to three million voice calls and 90,000 cable television stations.
No need for isolation. Since these wires are not electrical conductors, no additional insulation is required for their use.
- Better transmission quality. With minimal signal degradation, even over long distances, the need for additional equipment, such as repeaters, is greatly reduced, resulting in lower costs for service providers and, ultimately, end-user consumers.
- Immunity to electromagnetic interference. The signals that are carried through these wires are light in nature and not electromagnetic in nature. As a result, interference from external sources is drastically minimized.
~Darik Elwan
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