Fiber Optics is the branch of optics that deals with the transmission of light through thin rods of transparent material of high refractive index, such as glass. The principle is this: Light admitted at one end of the fiber travels inside the fiber core and strikes the outer surface which is then reflected inward thousands of times. The optical fiber core is surrounded by a layer of material with a much lower refractive index to avoid the loss of light by impurities on the surface of the fiber.

The use of fiber optic technology is endless. Light itself can be transmitted to otherwise unreachable locations. Images can be sent by bundling several thousand very thin fibers that are optically polished at their ends, which can then be viewed when reproduced at the other end of the bundle. This technology is already widely used in the medical field, in facsimile systems, in computer graphics and various other applications. The potential is unlimited for a variety of sensing devices involving environmental changes, pressure, sound, heat and motion. Where electrical effects can be useless, or even hazardous, fiber is extremely accurate for carrying high-power beams for cutting and drilling.

Major growth of fiber optic applications is in the communications field. Converging technology has become a possibility due to the speed at which data and information can travel through fiber. Traditional architecture of communication lines was copper and that is analog, which is slow compared to the speed of light capabilities of fiber transmissions. With the increased competition for long distance the new architecture of long distance facilities has become wireless or fiber based and the last miles into the home or business has become the "bottleneck" for all this digital information. We need fiber to the desktop and into the home. This is the most difficult and expensive part of the entire architecture. 

With the development of fully optical networks, the standardization of the protocol (the way the digital information is delivered), and the advent of the new faster Internet II make way for the next generation of communications and new advanced digital applications. This is the frontier of the way that Cities will exist 5 or 10 years from now. Fiber optics is secure, delivers content without interruption, and can be used to develop the networks that are needed for all these advanced platforms and digital applications. The possibilities are endless and it makes for an exciting future.  For further information on this technology please visit Telephony Magazine.

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