ABSTRACT
Fibre optic cables transmit data through very small cores at the speed of light. Significantly different from copper cables, fibre optic cables offer high bandwidths and low losses, which allow high data-transmission rates over long distances. There are three common types of fibre optic cables: single-mode, multimode, and graded-index. A newer generation of single-mode systems found applications in submarine cables and systems serving large numbers of subscribers. The chapter discusses the fabrication processes used in manufacturing fibre cables, and presents methods of coupling a light source with a fibre cable in the manufacturing of optical fibre devices. It aims to compare fibre and copper cables and describe the applications of fibre optic cables in many fields and sectors of modern society. The chapter presents four experimental cases, including fibre cable inspection and handling, fibre cable end preparation, numerical aperture measurements and calculations, and fibre cable power output intensity measurements and calculations.
