Fiber-optic communication

Fiber-optic communication

Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of <a href="/en/Infrared" title="Infrared" class="wl">infrared</a> light<a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;">[1]</a> through an <a href="/en/Optical_fiber" title="Optical fiber" class="wl">optical fiber</a>. The light is a form of <a href="/en/Carrier_wave" title="Carrier wave" class="wl">carrier wave</a> that is <a href="/en/Modulation" title="Modulation" class="wl">modulated</a> to carry information.<a href="#cite_note-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;">[2]</a> Fiber is <a href="#Comparison_with_electrical_transmission" target="_blank">preferred over electrical cabling</a> when high <a href="/en/Bandwidth_(computing)" title="Bandwidth (computing)" class="wl">bandwidth</a>, long distance, or immunity to <a href="/en/Electromagnetic_interference" title="Electromagnetic interference" class="wl">electromagnetic interference</a> is required.<a href="#cite_note-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;">[3]</a> This type of communication can transmit voice, video, and telemetry through local area networks or across long distances.<a href="#cite_note-4" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 4;">[4]</a>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Method of transmitting information</div>


<figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Optical-fibre-junction-box.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Optical-fibre-junction-box.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Optical-fibre-junction-box.jpg/220px-Optical-fibre-junction-box.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="1552" data-file-height="1869" data-file-type="bitmap" height="265" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Optical-fibre-junction-box.jpg/330px-Optical-fibre-junction-box.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Optical-fibre-junction-box.jpg/440px-Optical-fibre-junction-box.jpg 2x" alt="Optical-fibre-junction-box.jpg"></a><figcaption>An optical fiber patching cabinet. The yellow cables are <a href="/en/Single-mode_optical_fiber" title="Single-mode optical fiber" class="wl">single mode fibers</a>; the orange and blue cables are <a href="/en/Multi-mode_optical_fiber" title="Multi-mode optical fiber" class="wl">multi-mode fibers</a>: 62.5/125&nbsp;μm OM1 and 50/125&nbsp;μm OM3 fibers, respectively.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Stealth_Fiber_Crew_installing_fiber_cable_underneath_the_streets_of_Manhattan.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Stealth_Fiber_Crew_installing_fiber_cable_underneath_the_streets_of_Manhattan.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Stealth_Fiber_Crew_installing_fiber_cable_underneath_the_streets_of_Manhattan.jpg/220px-Stealth_Fiber_Crew_installing_fiber_cable_underneath_the_streets_of_Manhattan.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="1500" data-file-height="996" data-file-type="bitmap" height="146" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Stealth_Fiber_Crew_installing_fiber_cable_underneath_the_streets_of_Manhattan.jpg/330px-Stealth_Fiber_Crew_installing_fiber_cable_underneath_the_streets_of_Manhattan.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Stealth_Fiber_Crew_installing_fiber_cable_underneath_the_streets_of_Manhattan.jpg/440px-Stealth_Fiber_Crew_installing_fiber_cable_underneath_the_streets_of_Manhattan.jpg 2x" alt="Stealth_Fiber_Crew_installing_fiber_cable_underneath_the_streets_of_Manhattan.jpg"></a><figcaption><a href="/en/Stealth_Communications" title="Stealth Communications" class="wl">Stealth Communications</a> fiber crew installing a 432-count <a href="/en/Dark_fiber" title="Dark fiber" class="mw-redirect wl">dark fiber</a> cable underneath the streets of Midtown Manhattan, New York City</figcaption></figure>

Optical fiber is used by many telecommunications companies to transmit telephone signals, internet communication, and cable television signals. Researchers at <a href="/en/Bell_Labs" title="Bell Labs" class="wl">Bell Labs</a> have reached a record <a href="#Bandwidth–distance_product" target="_blank">bandwidth–distance product</a> of over 100 <a href="/en/Petabit" title="Petabit" class="mw-redirect wl">petabit</a> × kilometers per second using fiber-optic communication.<a href="#cite_note-5" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 5;">[5]</a>

Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of infrared light Optical fiber is used by many telecommunications companies to transmit telephone signals, internet communication, and cable television signals. Researchers at Bell Labs have reached a record bandwidth–distance product of over 100 petabit × kilometers per second using fiber-optic communication. 