FIBER OPTIC 101

Fiber-optic communication is a way of transmitting information from one place to another by sending light all the way through an optical fiber. The light forms an electromagnetic carrier wave that is modulated to carry information. First developed in the 1970s, fiber-optic communication systems have revolutionized the telecommunications industry and played a major role in the advent of the Information Age. This is because advantages over transmission, the use of optical fiber have largely replaced copper wire communications in core networks in the developed world.

The process of communicating using fiber-optics involves the following basic steps:   
a)    Creating the optical signal using a transmitter.
b)    Relaying the signal along the fiber.
c)    Ensuring that the signal does not become too distorted or weak.
d)    Receiving the optical signal and converting it into an electrical signal.

Optical fiber systems have many advantages over metallic-based communication systems. These advantages include: