Optical fiber uses glass or plastic threads to transmit data in the form of light pulses. There are two main types: multimode fiber which uses LED lights and is used for shorter distances like campus networks; and single-mode fiber which uses lasers and is used for longer backbone networks of over 100km. Optical fiber has advantages over copper cables like higher bandwidth, longer transmission distances without signal loss, immunity to electromagnetic interference and lower security risks. However, it also has disadvantages such as fragility during installation and higher costs.