GCSE PHYSICS - What are Telecommunications? - How are Optical Fibres used for Telecommunications?

The use of Optical Fibres in Telecommunications.

What are Telecommunications?

Telecommunications means
"the transmission of information over long distances".

Information is transmitted (sent) using
electrical signals in copper wires or by using
electromagnetic waves including light in optical fibres.

Electromagnetic waves can be used to transmit information
as a digital signal or as an analogue signal.
A digital signal has a higher quality than an analogue signal.
The transmitted information can be used in many ways,
including radio, telephone, television, fax and the internet.

How are Optical Fibres used in Telecommunications?

A laser can be made to produce little bits of light (called pulses)
which are sent along the optical fibre in the form of a digital signal.
The digital signal contains the information.

Many different digital signals can be sent
down the same optical fibre at the same time.
The optical fibre is said to have a higher capacity
than a copper wire of the same thickness
(this means that the optical fibre can carry more information).

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