| optical fiber
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. |