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A fine glass that transmits light,
sometimes known as optical fibre or just fibre. Fiber optic cables transmit data faster than
copper wires and are less susceptible to electromagnetic in terference. Most
long-distance telephone and internet traffic travels across fibre, which now
connects nearly all telephone exchanges and forms most internet
backbones. The first transatlantic fibre optic cable, laid in 1988, can
carry nearly 38,ooo simultaneous telephone conversations. some of the latest
fibre optic systems can transmit data at a staggering 10 terabits per
second, nearly 180m times faster than a 56k modem.
Much has
been made of the potential benefits of "bringing fibre to the kerb" by
replacing the existing copper wires on which telephone systems are currently
based and linking the fast fibre connection to the home standard
coaxial cable. But fibre optic technology is costly to install, and the
widespread availability of local fibre is still a long way off. It is
expensive to manufacture and needs more physical protection than existing
wires. Meanwhile, technologies such as adsl are demonstrating that
copper still has plenty of life left in it. |
