provides a high bandwidth alternative to copper wire for transmitting data Information is translated in light pulses which can be transmitted over optical fibre with little to no signal loss A number of optical fibre technologies exist cheaper technologies provide high bandwidth over relatively short distances suitable for LANs, campus networks and so called Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) while more expensive technologies are used by telecom network providers, over extremely long distances
op·ti·cal fi·bre optical fibres in AM, use optical fiber An optical fibre is a very thin thread of glass inside a protective coating. Optical fibres are used to carry information in the form of light. optical fiber a long thin thread of glass or plastic along which information can be sent through a phone or computer system, using light
a strand of glass or silica used as a cable for telecommunications purposes The data it sends is read in terms of pulses of light Optical fibres offer almost unlimited Bandwidth and thus high data rates
Optical fiber cables consist of thin filaments of glass (or other transparent materials), which can carry beams of light A laser transmitter encodes frequency signals into pulses of light and sends them down the optical fiber to a receiver, which translates the light signals back into frequencies Less susceptible to noise and interference than other kinds of cables, optical fibers can transmit data greater distances without amplification But because the glass filaments are fragile, optical fiber must be run underground rather than overhead on telephone poles
Cable made of glass fibres through which signals are transmitted as pulses of light It is a broadband medium that can easily provide capacity for a large number of channels
Contrary to popular opinion, optical fibre is not always made of glass They can be made from special kinds of plastic In any case, the fibres are designed so that a beam of light introduced at one end stays within the tube until it exits the other end The advantage here, of course, is that the data is carried along the fibre at the speed of light
Thin cylinder of glass or sometimes plastic, no thicker than a human hair, that light is able to be guided through They can be used to transmit information from one place to another
A glass thread that acts as a guide for lightwaves Fibres used in telecommunications usually have a cladding of glass of a lower refractive index In a communication system, several fibres are made up into a cable
A strand of hi-tech glass that carries signals in the form of laser light pulses An optical fibre pair can carry many thousands of telephone conversations simultaneously, or a mix of video and voice An optical fibre cable can contain hundreds of fibres
A method of guiding light over long distances with very little reduction on strength (attenuation or loss) A central core of high-refractive index material - usually very pure glass - is covered with a cladding of lower refractive index material Modern fibres have loss in the order of 0 25 dB/km, so 1 km of fibre has less loss than a pair of ordinary spectacles or reading glasses