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Definition: fiber optics


The use of optical fibers. Fiber-optic networks transformed the world of communications. Starting in the late 1960s and gaining momentum in the 1980s, the phone companies replaced their copper long distance trunks with fiber cable. Fiber transmission also reaches many commercial buildings and even to the home in certain neighborhoods. In time, the electronic circuits in computers may be replaced with light, in which case fiber pathways would be used throughout the system. See FTTP, optical fiber and fiber optics glossary.




Is Freedman Having Fun?
It doesn't look that way. Alan Freedman, author of this encyclopedia, is always reading. More than two decades ago, he was learning about fiber optics even while on vacation, and although Jeff Hecht's books are great, the concepts are mind boggling.