Optical Fiber Communication-The State of the Art

Optical-fiber transmission lines appear attractive for a variety of communication applications in which twisted copper pairs and coaxial cables are now used. These applications range from onpremises data links and equipment wiring to interoffice and intercity telecommunications trunks. Experiments to explore the technical feasibility of glass fibers in these areas are presently in progress. This paper summarizes the state of the art of the burgeoning field of optical fibers. Progress in research on fibers, cables, devices, and components will be reviewed, and systems applications and field experiments will be discussed.