How Fiber Optics are Changing the way the Internet Works for Us

About 20 years ago, companies which provide telecommunications services, particularly Internet providers, realized the immense potential of fiber optic cables. These foresighted companies began installing fiber optic cables everywhere, and for a long time the cost of these services was too high for the average consumer. However, as these companies recoup their massive installation costs as more customers sign up for service, the costs are now affordable even for small businesses and home users. Here's how fiber optics are changing the Web, and indeed, the world.

What Fiber Optics Are

Image via Flickr by Savannah River Site

Fiber optics technology transmits signals, including information and images, across an optical fiber cable. These signals are transmitted as light pulses, and are in digital form. The advantages of fiber optics include the ability to transmit large amounts of data over vast distances with virtually no loss to the quality of the information.

What Fiber Optics Offer

The differences in fiber optic Internet services, as opposed to the older copper wire technology used by dial-up Internet services, are significant. First, users never have to worry about a poor quality connection causing loss of service. Second, fiber optics eliminate the lengthy wait times for Web pages to load, messages to be transmitted, or images to upload.
Fiber optics are ideal for an interconnected world such as ours, because it allows for real-time experiences on social media sites, such as Facebook, YouTube, Limewire, Skype, and other sites heavy on audio and video. It also has practical and useful business applications.

Who Benefits from Fiber Optics

Personal and home users get excellent service from fiber optics when they engage in apps that require lots of bandwidth. This is awesome for gamers, social media enthusiasts, video streaming, music streaming, talking to friends and family on Skype, and other such activities.
Fiber optic Internet ISPS is even more profound in the world of business. Companies live or die nowadays according to the online experience they can offer their users. If the company can offer a visually appealing website with fast interface and high usability, they're far ahead of competitors that produce websites which are slow to load and difficult to navigate due to high latency.
Other business uses for fiber optics include the superior security offered by fiber optics. This is especially true of companies and organizations which handle highly sensitive data, such as consumer credit information, medical information on patients, banking information, data which might be a target for cyber terrorism, and sensitive government data on defense.

Why Fiber Optics Beats the Alternatives

The alternative to fiber optics for most consumers and businesses is copper wiring. Copper wires are susceptible to the weather, electrical currents, and magnetic pulses. Copper is also slower, works reliably over a much shorter distance, and can't come close to providing the high level of security required for today's online transactions.
Clearly, fiber optics is the future of Internet services. As companies continue to invest in fiber optic cable installation, more people choose these faster, more reliable, more secure solutions. This, in turn, continues to drive fiber optic Internet services down, making it a viable alternative for all users.

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About The Author:

Jake Fisher is a culture geek from Tampa, FL. He loves to write about tech, DIY, culture and anything geek related. Follow him @jakemfisher