Fiber-optic communication

An optical fiber patching cabinet. The yellow cables are single mode fibers; the orange and blue cables are multi-mode fibers: 62.5/125 μm OM1 and 50/125 μm OM3 fibers, respectively.
Stealth Communications fiber crew installing a 432-count dark fiber cable underneath the streets of Midtown Manhattan, New York City

Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of infrared or visible light through an optical fiber.[1][2] The light is a form of carrier wave that is modulated to carry information.[3] Fiber is preferred over electrical cabling when high bandwidth, long distance, or immunity to electromagnetic interference is required.[4] This type of communication can transmit voice, video, and telemetry through local area networks or across long distances.[5]

Optical fiber is used by many telecommunications companies to transmit telephone signals, internet communication, and cable television signals. Researchers at Bell Labs have reached a record bandwidth–distance product of over 100 petabit × kilometers per second using fiber-optic communication.[6][better source needed]

  1. ^ "Understanding Wavelengths In Fiber Optics". thefoa.org. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  2. ^ McIntosh, Jane; Chrisp, Peter; Parker, Philip; Gibson, Carrie; Grant, R. G.; Regan, Sally (October 2014). History of the World in 1,000 Objects. New York: DK and the Smithsonian. p. 382. ISBN 978-1-4654-2289-7.
  3. ^ Future Trends in Fiber Optics Communication (PDF). WCE, London UK. July 2, 2014. ISBN 978-988-19252-7-5.
  4. ^ "How Fiber Optics Work". How Stuff Works. 6 March 2001. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  5. ^ "What are the Basic Elements of a Fibre Optic Communication System?". FOS. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Press release: Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs announces new optical transmission record and breaks 100 Petabit per second kilometer barrier". Alcatel-Lucent. September 28, 2009. Archived from the original on October 18, 2009.