1. Fiber Optic Cables
By Juan Gonzalo Angel Restrepo
Essential tools in modern telecommunications, fiber optic cables are
used to transmit light signals across long distances. These signals
are transformed into information and images for your television,
computer, or phone. The fibers themselves are made of very thin,
almost hair-like strands of glass. When these fibers are grouped
together, they can send vast amounts of data over great distances.
A typical optical fiber cable consists of three parts: the core, the
cladding, and the buffer coating. The pure glass core is the center
and is the section through which the light signal is sent. The cladding
surrounds the core of the cable and reflects light back, like a mirror.
The plastic buffer coating protects the unit from moisture and other
forms of damage (some fiber optic cables run underwater).
One single fiber optic cable may, in fact, be a bundle of thousands of
optical fibers grouped together. They are all then encased in a special
“jacket” that gives even greater protection from outside elements.
About the Author:
For the past five years, Juan Gonzalo Angel Restrepo has served as
president of Global Media TV. Earlier in his career, he was a founding
partner of Pacific Cable Company, which created a fiber optic
network that stretched throughout the northeastern section of
Colombia.