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Story URL: http://networks.silicon.com/broadband/0,39024661,39163573,00.htm

The A to Z of broadband
Let's get connected with an alphabetic guide to all things broadband

By Gemma Simpson

Published: Wednesday 01 November 2006

Fibre

Forget the Bran Flakes - its optical fibre that's the big idea when it comes to transmitting data.

Optical fibres are tiny transparent fibres made of plastic or glass which carry light signals. Currently when you log in from home you'll be connecting to conventional copper wires, installed to carry analogue voice calls.

The list from A to Z

Click on the links below to find out more...

A is for ADSL
B is for BT
C is for Cable & Wireless
D is for Dial-up
E is for Education
F is for Fibre
G is for Goonhilly
H is for HSDPA
I is for In-flight
J is for Janet
K is for Kingston
L is for Landlines
M is for Murdoch
N is for Next generation
O is for Ofcom
P is for Power lines
Q is for Quad-play
R is for Remote working
S is for Satellite phones
T is for Trains
U is for Unbundling
V is for VoIP
W is for WiMax
X is for Xbox
Y is for YouTube
Z is for Zombies

But copper is heavier than plastic and requires thousands of electrical links to get your message across the globe.

Optical fibres hold many advantages over their conventional copper counterparts: they can work at higher bandwidths and span longer distances. Fibres also have exceptionally low signal loss and the ability to carry more data.

Columnist Peter Cochrane is a fan of fibres but switching all of the existing copper network to fibre would be an expensive business.

As the world embraces wireless it might not be long until optical fibres join copper wires in the great-technology-graveyard in the sky.