when was fiber optic cable first used？
Fiber optic cable was first used in the 1970s. The development of fiber optic began with theoretical work in the 1950s and 1960s, but it wasn't until 1970 that the first practical fiber optic cable were created.
In 1970, scientists at Corning Glass Works (now Corning Inc.) developed a glass fiber that could carry light over long distances with minimal loss. This breakthrough made fiber optic communication possible. The first commercial use of fiber optic for telecommunications began in the late 1970s, and by the 1980s, fiber optic networks started to be installed in various parts of the world.
Fiber optics revolutionized communications by allowing faster and more reliable transmission of data over long distances compared to traditional copper cable.
How Does a Fiber Optic Cable Work？
A communications optical fiber cable consists of glass strands, each about the size of a human hair, that transmit data via light waves at the speed of light. Offering higher bandwidth than copper cable, fiber optic are essential in the internet age, enabling rapid data transfer to millions of subscribers. In addition to communications, fiber optic are used in industrial networks, sensing, and avionics.
To understand how fiber optic work, it's important to know what happens when light passes through air or water. In air, light travels as a wave but loses energy, spreading out and becoming less intense, a process known as attenuation. In water, light bends around molecules, preserving its energy, and slows down, allowing it to travel further than in air. Optical fiber utilize these properties to transmit data.
Most optical fiber consist of a core made of pure silica glass, surrounded by a cladding layer of doped silica. The core is small enough for only one ray of light to pass through, called a single-mode fiber. The cladding has a lower refractive index and reflects light back into the core, a process known as total internal reflection.
The performance of optical fiber is measured by return loss, or insertion loss, which compares the power in the forward direction to the power in the reverse direction. A high return loss indicates more light is lost during transmission, while a low return loss means less light is lost.
Types of Fiber Optics Cables：
Single-Mode Fiber (SMF) has a small core (8-10 microns) and transmits light as a single ray, making it ideal for long-distance, high-bandwidth transmission. It’s commonly used in telecommunications, high-speed internet, and long-haul networks such as undersea cable and intercity connections. Single-mode fiber offers better performance over long distances but is more expensive than multi-mode fiber.
Multi-Mode Fiber (MMF) has a larger core (50-100 microns) and allows multiple light rays to travel through the core at different angles. This makes it better suited for short-distance applications with lower bandwidth, such as local area networks (LANs), data centers, and within buildings. Multi-mode fiber is more affordable than single-mode fiber but is less effective for long-distance communication.
Simplex And Duplex Optical Fiber：
Simplex Fiber Optic Cable:
Simplex fiber optic cable features a single strand of glass, designed for applications requiring only one transmit or receive line between devices. It is also used when a multiplexed data signal enables bi-directional communication over a single fiber.
Duplex Fiber Optic Cable:
Duplex fiber optic cable consists of two strands of glass or plastic, typically arranged in a "zipcord" format. It is commonly used for duplex communication between devices, where separate transmit and receive lines are necessary.
Advances in Fiber Optic Cable
Fiber optics, once limited by cost and complexity, has now become widely accessible due to lower expenses and simplified adoption. This allows even those with basic networking knowledge to leverage its benefits. Over the past two decades, advancements have significantly reduced attenuation rates, making fiber the leading medium for electronic communication. By the 1990s, as the Internet gained popularity, global fiber optic networks expanded rapidly, driven by the need to address Y2K concerns. Today, fiber optics forms the backbone of modern communication infrastructure, connecting virtually every nation and enabling high-speed data transmission essential for future innovations.
