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The History Of The Fibre Optic Cable

Using fibre optic cables is possibly one of the most efficient data transmitting devices around, transferring information in quick time. Unlike normal cables this is one of the most useful and long lasting data transmitting devices, which require no lengthy waiting period. This is made from threads of glass that sends data and information through modulated light waves. Metal cables do not have as much bandwidth as a fibre optic cable and are also less susceptible to interferences.

Other advantages to using fibre optic cables are that they are much lighter and thinner than metal wires. Furthermore information can be transmitted digitally hence the reason for a less likelihood of interference. Metal wires transfer information analogically, which means it is transferred through an analogue signal (a long electronic signal that is continuous and varies over time). Digital signals transmit information through a non continuous process, usually in the form of pulses or digits. The digits are constant in their value; however, they do change abruptly from one digit to the other.

On the subject of fibre optic cables these use digital signals to transmit information accurately, without interferences and without losing any information in the process. However, this is no new technology as the uses of glass fibres date as far back as the Roman period. These were drawn into fibres, a time when glass was more popularly used to make vessels and for mosaic tiles. It was not until 1790 that the French Chappe brothers came up with the first 'optical telegraph'.

The invention comprised of lights mounted on towers, where operators could signal and relay messages from one tower to the other. The invention sparked greater interest and deeper studies in optical sciences. Later in the 1840s physicists Jacque Babinet and Daniel Collodon presented that light could be bent, by showing that light can travel easily through a curved stream of water. The water fountain display showed that if light can be bent, then transmitting information could possible.

Alexander Bell later invented the photophone in 1880. His telephone invention was more successful and realistically more useful. In the same year William Wheeler took interest in the use of light and later invented light pipes, which helped to light up houses using an illuminating coating and an arc lamp. These were based in the basement and directed the light around the home using the pipes.

The subsequent years after saw the invention of light rods that illuminated the human body cavities by Doctors Ross and Reuss of Vienna in 1888. After which Henry Saint-Rene invented the bent light rod in order to guide light images in an earlier attempt of inventing the first television of 1898. It would not be until 1920 that John Logie Baird patented the idea of using transparent light rods to produce images for television, which further gave rise to transmitting important information using light.

Clarence M, Hansell place a patent for the same type of method, only with facsimile. For this reason following inventions and usage were denied such as the work of Heinrich Lamm, who was forced to leave Nazi Germany for America and was the first to transmit images through fibre optics. The invention was going to be used for accessing images of body parts that were inaccessible, however his dreams of breaking into the medical profession was prevented because of Hansell's patent.

Signals that were transmitted were still yet to be improved and enhanced without interference. Abraham Van Heel produced the first cladded and intertwined fibre glass and plastic fibre device that reduced the interference and cross talk in signal transference.
Other inventions included the very first fibre optic telephone in 1975 at Dorset Police. During this period through to the early nearly all telephone companies began to use fibre optic technology for communication. It would not be until 1996 that saw the very first fibre optic cables TPC5 used all across the Pacific Ocean. A year later FLAG (Fibre Optic Link Around the Globe) was established as the single most longest cable in the world.

This proved that fibre optics is the strongest and fasted transmitting device across longer distances, having been used for the internet, telecommunication, medical facilities and imaging devices.

About the Author

Anna Stenning uses fibre optic cables for her internet connection, and has studied how these are more commonly used than one thinks.

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