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Fibre-Optic Technology In-Depth (And an experiment to try at home!)

Written by Audra Oliver | 20-Jul-2015 12:26:00

Fibre optic technology, fibre leased lines, and fibre connectivity are terms thrown around a lot these days.  Most of us associate them with faster internet.  But what does ‘fibre optic’ really mean, how does it work and what do we use it for? 

 

Simply put, fibre optics is a technology that uses glass (or plastic) threads (fibres) to transmit data. A fibre-optic cable is made up of 100 or more incredibly thin strands of glass or plastic known as optical fibres. Each one is less than a tenth as thick as a human hair and can carry 10 million telephone calls (VoIP telephone calls that is).

 

Fibre leased lines and fibre connectivity both refer to a permanent, dedicated high performance network connection that can carry voice, data and Internet traffic via fibre optic connectivity between your office and the service provider’s Point of Presence (POP). Other types of connectivity, including those called “high-speed” broadband (FTTC & ADSL), may not use fibre at all, or only for part of the way to the exchange.  Learn more here.

 

The reason the world is so hot on fibre optic cables is because they are a true (and huge) advancement in communications technology, allowing us to communicate faster and better thanks to their greater bandwidth and less susceptibility to interference than metal cables.  It is fibre optic technology that ensures the Hong Kong hosted website you want to see loads in a matter of seconds, and emails sent to Toronto from London are recieved virtually instantaneously. 

 

How Fibre Optics Work

Light travels down a fibre-optic cable by bouncing repeatedly off the walls. Each tiny photon (particle of light) bounces down the pipe like a bobsleigh going down an ice run. You might expect a beam of light traveling in a clear glass pipe to leak out of the edges. But if light hits glass at a really shallow angle (less than 42 degrees), it reflects back in again—as though the glass were really a mirror. This phenomenon is called total internal reflection. It is one of the things that keeps light inside the pipe.

 

The other thing that keeps light in the pipe is the structure of the cable, which is made up of two separate parts. The main part of the cable—in the middle—is called the core and that's the bit the light travels through. Wrapped around the outside of the core is another layer of glass called the cladding. The cladding's job is to keep the light signals inside the core. It can do this because it is made of a different type of glass to the core. (More technically, the cladding has a lower refractive index than the core. This causes total internal reflection that stops the light escaping and keeps it bouncing down the core.)

 

Try This Experiment!

This fun little experiment is a modern-day re-creation of a famous scientific demonstration carried out by Irish physicist John Tyndall in 1870.  If you think you are too old for experiements, perhaps try it with your kids?

 

Note:  It is best to do it in a darkened bathroom or kitchen at the sink. You will need an old clear, plastic drink bottle, the brightest torch you can find, some aluminium foil, and some sticky tape.

 

1. Take the plastic bottle and wrap aluminium foil tightly around the sides, leaving the top and bottom of the bottle uncovered. If you need to, hold the foil in place with sticky tape.


2. Fill the bottle with water.


3. Switch on the torch and press it against the base of the bottle so the light shines up inside the water. It works best if you press the torch tightly against the bottle. You need as much light to enter the bottle as possible, so use the brightest torch you can find.


4. Standing by the sink, tilt the bottle so the water starts to pour out. Keep the torch pressed tight against the bottle. If the room is darkened, you should see the spout of water lighting up ever so slightly. Notice how the water carries the light, with the light beam bending as it goes!  And if you can't see much light in the water spout, try a brighter touch.

 

VTSL offers fibre-leased lines, and VoIP business phone systems all using the power of fibre optic technology.  Learn more about how your business can benefit today by calling 0207 078 3200.