
Optical Fibre and Fibre Optics
Optical fibre is glass or plastic drawn to a width thinner than a human hair used as a medium through which information is transmitted in light pulses. Fibre Optics refer to the light-based (optical) technology used for long-distance and high-performance data transfer and networking. It is commonly used in telecommunication services such as the Internet and provides gigabit speeds to consumers. Optical fibre cables are better alternatives for copper wire in information transmission because it carries more data at faster speeds with no electromagnetic interference and less data loss (attenuation) due to its higher bandwidth. Typically, data generated by search engines like Google, is enabled by immense fibre-optic cable networks connected to worldwide data centres. Using fast fibre-optic broadband means data travels as photons through optical fibre cable networks embedded in a number of rural areas, and deep beneath the oceans linking continents until it reaches the ‘last mile’, terms used to describe, the traditional copper wire connection to, for example, a residence.
Advantages of Fibre Optics
Fibre-optic cables have three main advantages over old-style copper cables:
- Information travels incredibly fast and needs less amplification and this makes it easier to maintain and more affordable
- Signal quality is better and information is more reliable because there is no crosstalk or electromagnetic interferences between optical fibres
- Optic fibres transfer more data due to its higher bandwidth
Optical Networks for Cyber Security
It is estimated that fibre cables cover over 99 percent of the Internet’s total reach, and carry over 99 percent of all international data traffic. Given these statistics, the uses (and abuses) of fibre Internet is expanding exponentially and areas of such growth are using fibre optics to securing both data and physical assets.
In a digital world, cyber security is a key consideration for businesses. For example, companies are increasingly utilising fibre optic networks to tighten-up their boundary security and perimeter protection. A faster connection means quicker access to vital aspects of an operation and then preventative action can be taken to bushwhack potential threats.