Engineering Physics

11.9 Advantages of optical fibres in communication

The following are the advantages of optical fibres in communication:

1. Extremely wide band: The rate at which information can be transmitted is directly related to signal frequency. Light has very high frequency in the range of 10¹⁴ to 10¹⁵ Hz, as compared to radio frequencies ~ 10⁶ Hz and microwave frequencies 10⁸–10¹⁰ Hz. So, light can transmit information at a higher rate than systems that operate at radio frequencies or microwave frequencies.
2. Smaller diameter and light weight: Optical fibres are light-weight, smaller diameter and flexible; so, they can be handled more easily than copper cables.
3. Lack of cross-talk between parallel fibres: In copper cable communication circuits, signals often ...