Fiber-optics are the future of communication in the United States and across the globe. In our previous blog, we explained what fiber is and why businesses and residential homes have continued to make the switch from broadband to fiber internet. If you’re looking to increase bandwidth potential, speed, and reliability, fiber is the way to go.
Now, join us as we look at the history of fiber-optics:
When were fiber-optic cables invented?
While you may have just learned about fiber-optics recently, they have been around for quite some time. The technology behind them was first invented back in the mid-1800s when scientists and inventors were curious about using the speed of light to transmit information.
According to NCBI, Charles Kuen Kao is known as the “father of fiber optic communications” for his discovery in the 1960s of certain physical properties of glass, which laid the groundwork for high-speed data communication in the Information Age. Before that, glass fibers were believed to be unsuitable as a conductor of information as they were unable to achieve a high signal across far distances. Thanks to Kao, bundles of thin fibers were carefully purified and manufactured to carry large amounts of data over long distances with minimal signal failure.
The Current State of Fiber
Today, fiber-optics are used for a wide range of purposes, and the benefits compared to traditional wire cables are unmatched. The most common advantages of fiber-optics are greater bandwidth, faster speeds, longer distances, better reliability, more flexibility, and lower costs. Fiber-optics are present in virtually every nation across the globe and used within a variety of industries besides just internet and telecommunication.
Fiber-optic Use Cases:
- Internet
- Computer Networking
- Surgery and Dentistry
- Automotive Industry
- Telephone communication
- Lighting and Decorations
- Cable Television
- Military and Space Applications
The Future of Fiber
Fiber-optics have been used widely in the last few years, causing us to believe the future is certainly bright moving forward. In fact, an analysis by Research and Market predicted that the fiber-optic market will grow at a rate of 8.5% in the next few years, reaching approximately $7.25 billion by 2025.
It is predicted that businesses across the country will continue to adopt fiber internet for their facility to increase internet speeds, gain a more reliable connection, get faster access to the cloud, increase security, and cut hardware and maintenance costs.
KsFiberNet is dedicated to providing this fiber connection to businesses in Kansas. You can visit our website to view our fiber map and explore options for your business.
About KsFiberNet
Kansas Fiber Network, LLC (KsFiberNet), provides wholesale Internet and data transport services to regional and national carriers, rural telephone companies, as well as government, medical, education, banking, and community anchor institutions using a state-of-the-art 100G fiber network. Chartered in 2009 by 29 independent rural Kansas telephone companies, KsFiberNet is Kansas-owned plus provides local service and support. Covering 3000+ miles, KsFiberNet has the best Ethernet coverage of any carrier in the state.
