Fiber Optics Systems

The U.S. military moved quickly to use fiber optics for improved communications and tactical systems. In 1973, the U.S. Navy installed a fiber optic telephone link aboard the U.S.S. Little Rock. The Air Force followed suit by developing its Airborne Light Optical Fiber Technology (ALOFT) program in 1976. Encouraged by the success of these applications, military R&D programs were funded to develop stronger fibers, tactical cables, ruggedized, high-performance components, and numerous demonstration systems ranging from aircraft to undersea applications.

Commercial applications followed soon after. In 1977, both AT&T and GTE installed fiber optic telephone systems in Chicago and Boston respectively. These successful applications led to the increase of fiber optic telephone networks. By the early 1980’s, single-mode fiber operating in the 1310nm and later the 1550nm wavelength windows became the standard fiber installed for these networks. Initially, computers, information networks, and data communications were slower to embrace fiber, but today they too find use for a transmission system that has lighter weight cable, resists lightning strikes, and carries more information faster and over longer distances.

In military and commercial applications, system design and parts selection are often related. Designers consider trade-offs in the following areas:

• Fiber properties
• Types of connections
• Optical sources
• Detector types

Designers develop systems to meet stringent working requirements, while trying to maintain economic performance. The environment dictates the types of connectors and fibers designers select to make up the fiber optic cable plant (FOCP). The National Electric Code (NEC) and Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) provide the guidelines for the commercial sector. While the installation standard for the military is the MIL-STD 2042B and the design standard is the MIL-STD 2052.

In the commercial industry broadband services allow transmission of voice, video, and data. Services include television, data retrieval, video word processing, electronic mail, banking, and shopping. Fiber to the home or FTTH is being rolled out to neighborhoods throughout the country. The bundled packages now include television, phone and internet.

Fiber optics has changed the world we live in. The ability to use debit and credit cards everywhere occurs because of fiber optic storage networks. Even in the age of wireless communications (cell phones) the only reason they work is because of the world-wide web or fiber optic network.

The transmitter in your cell phone broadcasts your voice a short distance to the nearest cell tower. Once received at the tower, it is converted to pulses of light that are sent across the country (or world) through various switches and fibers to a cell tower closest to your intended recipient. That tower converts your voice back to a wireless transmission and broadcasts it out. It is received by the cell phone it was intended to go to. Basically no matter where you are 99.99 percent of the distance your voice travels is through a fiber optic network.