1. Marketing approach

1.1 Advantages of fiber optics over electrical cable

Silica optical fibers (FO), like copper coaxial electrical cables, are conduits within which electromagnetic energy is propagated.

The main advantage of fiber optics in telecommunications is that the electromagnetic signal is much less attenuated or distorted than in coaxial cable. High data rates can therefore be transported over long distances (table 1 ).

Other characteristics, which lead to the use of optical fiber in aeronautical, military and industrial applications, are immunity to interference from electromagnetic radiation (EMI), the light weight of optical cable compared to coaxial cable, and bandwidth. Maxwell's equations...