fiber optic transmission

Definition

Transmitting signals as pulses of light through a thinner than human hair strand of glass or plastic at data carrying capacity (bandwidth) far greater than possible with any other physical medium. Under the AT&T's SONET standard data speeds of over 2.5 Gbps are common, whereas the maximum limit for a copper cable (without compression) is 16 Mbps. The attainable limit of fiber optic transmission is 2 trillion bits per second, enough to handle the amount of data handled by all US telecommunication companies put together. Fiber-optic uses less energy, is immune to static (electromagnetic interference), and is almost entirely secure from tempering or wire tapping.