Fiber-optic communication, first developed in the 1970s, has played a major role in creating the connected world that we live in today. More than 2 billion kilometers of optical fiber is deployed around the world, connecting people, businesses, communities, countries, and continents in real-time via voice, data, and video. (Source) As consumers’ communication demands continue to grow, fiber optics will continue to adapt and it remains the technology of the future.
Fiber optics have largely replaced traditional metal cables. Whereas metal wires rely on electricity for data transmission, pulses of light through an optical fiber drives fiber optic-communication.
Fiber optics (light) has many advantages over electricity. Here’s more information about what these differences are:
Fewer Repairs & Associated Costs
When electricity is applied to a wire, it can cause electrical friction which heats the wire. If the wire overheats, it melts and needs to be replaced. The heat footprint of fiber optics carrying light is much less potent than electricity which means that fiber optic cables incur fewer maintenance repair costs.
Energy Savings
Fiber is “green”. Electricity is a huge drain on resources. A light signal uses significantly less energy than electricity, making it the eco-friendly alternative. Additional substations and nodes are needed to keep an electric signal as strong as possible over greater distances. By comparison, fiber optics upgrades are far less wasteful because there are fewer substations and nodes to replace and upgrade. (Source)
Bandwidth Capacity
Consumer demand for faster and more affordable data delivery systems is driving the need for increased bandwidth. Fiber optic cables can carry more data than metal cables. Only optical fiber has the capacity to reliably and simultaneously deliver applications such as file-sharing, online gaming, video on demand, HDTV, and more. (Source)
Scientific Possibilities
The use of fiber optics is expanding beyond global communications systems. In a recent fiber optic experiment highlighted in Tech Times, Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) researchers have brought together a pair of photons in the strongest coupling possible. The interaction was great enough to change the phase of each photon by 180 degrees.
For information about how fiber optics can help your company, please contact Fishman Corporation.