The Impressive Light Speed of Fiber Optics

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The Impressive Light Speed of Fiber Optics

• Presented By
• Alex Calderon (Introduction and Summary)
• Jessica Edelman (Business Applications)
• Arturo Arias (Advantages)
• Brent Keller (Disadvantages)

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Introduction

• What is fiber optics technology?
• How does it work?
• What can it do for a business?
• Ex. Increase productivity or create profit?
• What are the benefits?
• Such as high speed travel
• What are the disadvantages?
• Such as costs
• Conclusion
• Recap and our opinion

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Fiber Optics(A Brief History)

• Glass fibers have been around since the Roman
  Empire
• Alexander Graham Bell invented photophone to send
  voice through sunlight
• Idea to use glass fiber as a medium for data
  travel in form of light came from Charles Kao and
  George Hockham at the Standard Telecommunication
  Laboratories

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The Make-Up of Fiber Optics

• Fiber Optic cable has three components
• The outer coating
• Protects the inner coating and core
• The inner coating known as the cladding
• Mirror lined coating to reflect the light
• The core which is the glass fiber
• Medium the light beam travels through

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How It All Works Together

• Original data(code) is converted into light beam
  and is sent into glass fiber
• Cladding uses a mirror lining to send the light
  from sender to receiver using reflection, thus
  allowing the cable to be flexible and not lose
  the signal
• Light is then received and converted back to
  original code

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A Brief Overview

• Im still confusedhow does it work?
• Telephone Calls
• Copper Wiring
• Fiber Optic
• 1 to 24,000 ratio
• Appealing to Businesses
• Tiny ultra-pure glass strands
• Size of human hair (8 microns)
• Signal not distorted or weakened
• Travel time 186,000 miles per second

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Where Might I See Fiber Optics?

• Widely used in illumination applications
• Used as light guides in medical centers
• Used to route sunlight from the roof to other
  parts of the building
• Decorative applications
• Signs, Art, Christmas Trees
• Jewelry Stores
• Swarovski
• Uses optical fibers to illuminate their crystal
  showcases

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Case Study 1

• Verizon Wireless
• Introduction to FiOS (Fiber Optic Service)
• Transports phone calls, data and video to and
  from homes and businesses
• First company of their kind to use fibers to
  directly connect on a wide range scale
• Verizon will spend approximately 23 Billion
• Wiring of 18 million homes
• Will be completed by 2010

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Case Study 2

• Ballys Las Vegas
• Accommedations
• 2,814 Guestrooms
• 225 Suites
• 165,000 sq ft of Meeting Centers
• 23 Convention Centers
• 4 Ballrooms totaling 200,000 sq ft
• Fully intergrated with optical fiber
  communications by 2011
• Michael Benedetti, President of Ballys Las Vegas
• Many of our guests want 100 megabitsand will
  soon be asking for gigabit and even 10-gigabit
  transmission speeds. If we had installed copper
  cabling, this would have meant rewiring at least
  one, maybe twice.
• This would have nearly tripled their 30 billion
  dollar renovation plans

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Advantages

• Long Distance Signal Transmission
• Higher Data Security
• Non-Flammable

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AdvantagesLong Distance Transmission

• Can transfer data up to 62 miles
• Compared to copper wire which only goes up to 1.2
  miles
• Contains large capacity to carry high speed
  signals over long distances
• Has a high bandwidth capacity
• Compared to other cables it carries more
  bandwidth at faster speed and longer distances

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AdvantagesHigher Data Security

• Impossible to detect signal that is being
  transmitted within the cable
• This is so because of its dielectric nature
• There is no radiated magnetic fields around the
  optical fiber
• All located within the fibers
• Only possible way to detect a signal is to cut
  through the wire
• Merely impossible without being detected
• Most secure way of transferring data
• Coaxial cables can leak out information

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AdvantagesNon-Flammable

• Non-flammable
• When dealing with certain businesses that are
  close to flammable objects, businesses such as
  chemical plants and oil refineries the type of
  cable being used is very dangerous
• Fiber optic cable eliminates the fire hazard
  since it carries light not electrical current

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Disadvantages

• Sensitivity and Difficulty
• Cost Compared to Other Technologies
• Legal Issues

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DisadvantagesSensitivity and Difficulty

• Each cable often requires a buffer layer
  between fibers to prevent signal from leaking
  from one fiber to another
• Despite the development of bendable fiber, a
  bend of even 30 millimeters could cause a break
  of the fiber or a severe disruption of the signal
• Though many are trained to handle fiber optics,
  many technicians may lack the tools or training
  necessary to ensure no damage is done
• Less resistant to breakage than traditional metal
  wiring

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DisadvantagesCost Comparison

• Technology comes at a price
• SBC budgeted 6 billion in 2007 for the extension
  of fiber optics to approximately 18 million homes
• In 2003-04, Verizon planned to connect about 3
  million homes with fiber optics, budgeting 2.4
  billion and the addition of approximately
  3000-5000 employees
• This is not to mention future maintenance and
  other legacy costs
• Other technologies, such as more abundant copper
  wiring, or Microwave technology, bears a
  significantly lower cost

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DisadvantagesLegal Issues

• Not as large an issue as previously with advent
  of case law
• Municipalities and other units of government were
  reluctant to grant land usage rights to
  companies, fearing the loss of possible billions
  in franchise and other fees from a new technology
• Companies have to deal with land acquisition,
  local contracts, municipal fees, etc.
• Many towns view larger firms such as SBC as
  deep-pocketed sources of revenue

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Summary

• Fiber Optics- data in the form of light traveling
  through glass fiber
• Advantages
• Long distance signal transmission
• Higher data security
• Non-Flammable
• Disadvantages
• Sensitivity and Difficulty
• Cost
• Legal Issues

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ConclusionIn Our Opinion

• We feel that fiber optics is the way of the
  future, and this is something businesses should
  consider
• switching into.

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• How much have you learned?

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Question 1

• Which of the following is NOT an advantage of
  fiber optics?
• A. Non-flammable
• B. Long distance signal transmission
• C. Low cost
• D. High data security

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Question 2

• True or False?
• Cladding uses a mirror lining to send the light
  from sender to receiver using reflection, thus
  allowing the cable to be flexible and not lose
  the signal

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Question 3

• Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of
  fiber optics?
• A. Cost
• B. Sensitivity
• C. Legal Issues
• D. Flammable

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• Questions From The Audience?