Fiber Optics - Communicating with Light

Lightwave communications systems based on the transmission of digital on-off pulse of light through a hair-thin glass fiber optics are revolutionizing communications throughout the world. 

The very high frequency of light relative to conventional transmission frequencies allows large amount of information - billions of signals per second! - to be sent over a single fiber. And the very low light signal losses allows very long distance transmission - greater than 200 km! - before the signal must be reamplified.