Fibre-Optics: 

A technology that uses glass (or plastic) threads (fibers) to transmit data. A fiber optic cable consists of a bundle of glass threads, each of which is capable of transmitting messages modulated onto light waves.

Fiber optics has several advantages over traditional metal communications lines:

·  Fiber optic cables have a much greater bandwidth than metal cables. This means that they can carry more data.

• Fiber optic cables are less susceptible than metal cables to interference.

·  Fiber optic cables are much thinner and lighter than metal wires.

• Data can be transmitted digitally (the natural form for computer data) rather than analogically.

The main disadvantage of fiber optics is that the cables are expensive to install. In addition, they are more fragile than wire and are difficult to split.

Fiber optics is a particularly popular technology for local-area networks. In addition, telephone companies are steadily replacing traditional telephone lines with fiber optic cables. In the future, almost all communications will employ fiber optics.

Core: the inner light-carrying member.
Cladding: the middle layer, which serves to confine the light to the core.
Buffer: the outer layer which serves as a "shock absorber" to protect the core and cladding from damage.

The concentric layers of an optical fiber include
the light-carrying core, the cladding and the protective buffer