Source : WordNet®

optical fibre
     n : a very thin fiber made of glass that functions as a
         waveguide for light; used in bundles to transmit images
         [syn: {optical fiber}, {glass fiber}, {glass fibre}]

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

optical fibre
     
         (fibre optics, FO, US "fiber", light pipe) A
        plastic or glass (silicon dioxide) fibre no thicker than a
        human hair used to transmit information using infra-red or
        even visible light as the carrier (usually a laser).  The
        light beam is an electromagnetic signal with a frequency in
        the range of 10^14 to 10^15 Hertz.
     
        Optical fibre is less susceptible to external noise than other
        transmission media, and is cheaper to make than copper wire,
        but it is much more difficult to connect.  Optical fibres are
        difficult to tamper with (to monitor or inject data in the
        middle of a connection), making them appropriate for secure
        communications.  The light beams do not escape from the medium
        because the material used provides total internal reflection.
     
        {AT&T} {Bell Laboratories} in the United States managed to
        send information at a rate of 420 megabits per second, over
        161.5 km through an optical fibre cable.  In Japan, 445.8
        megabits per second was achieved over a shorter distance.  At
        this rate, the entire text of the Encyclopedia Britannica
        could be transmitted in one second.  Currently, AT&T is
        working on a world network to support high volume data
        transmission, international computer networking, {electronic
        mail} and voice communications (a single fibre can transmit
        200 million telephone conversations simultaneously).
     
        See also {FDDI}, {Optical Carrier n}, {SONET}.
     
        (1997-05-26)