FIBER OPTICS: STATUS IN INDIA

By
Dr. Vijay Pithadia
Assistant Professor & Kidevices Chair
School of Management Studies
Shri Lauva Patel Trust College For Women
Amreli – GJ
E-mail : vijaypithadia@lycos.com
 

Abstract: Technological changes based on electrons are reaching their limitations and thus there is increased focus on technologies that use photons. There are vast opportunities to carrying information in the field of fiber optics for communication purpose. Basically there are two types of fiber optics cables are used i.e. step graded and graded index. FOSAPP objectives to develop a high-speed fiber optic data link, future prospects such as FTT/FISL and HFC are the challenging opportunities in the status of fiber optics in India.

Key Words: Fiber Optic, Optical Fiber, Wave-Guide, Telecom Communication, FOSAPP, FTTC and HFC

Availability of Data: Quoted data and information are available from public sources, which are mentioned in references.

Acknowledgement: I reconcer G. Srinivas [National Assessment and Accreditation Council], Matin Khan [University of Lucknow], M. B. Shukla [Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapitha], S. Ramasamy [KSR College of Arts & Science], S. C. Garg [Indira Gandhi National Open University], Rajesh Khajuria [Western India University], T. Mallikarjunappa [Mangalore University], J. J. Kothari [M P Shah Commerce Collge], P. N. Gupta [DOEACC Society], Hansa Hindocha [Saurashtra University], Roopa Mehta [SNDT Women's University], Balram Dogra [Apeejay Institute of Management], Manchand Jain Knandela [Subodh Institute of Management & Career Studies], Prem Kumar [Punjabi University], N. S. Bisht [Kumaun University], Lalit Arora [Mooradabad Institute of Technology] & S. D. Gupta [Indian Institute of Health Management Research] for research coadjuvancy.

Prologue: Optical communication systems date back two centuries, to the "optical telegraph" that French engineer Claude Chappe invented in the 1790s. His system was a series of semaphores mounted on towers, where human operators relayed messages from one tower to the next. It beat hand-carried messages hands down, but by the mid-19th century was replaced by the electric telegraph, leaving a scattering of "Telegraph Hills" as its most visible legacy.

Fiber Optic is one of the branches of Opto-electronics. Presently Opto-electronics becomes an established as a subject in its own right and with developmental future Fiber optic and optical communication provides good example of systems. Opto-electronics incorporate a wide range of devices including those based on semiconductor and those based on the behavior of light in crystals subject to external fields. Photonics is declared as on of the twelve emerging technologies, which are being tracked closely between USA and Japan, while Department of Commerce, USA, recognize prominently in the list of ten technologies

Fiber Optics:

As a system point of view an optical system that uses one or more glass or Perspex fibers as a light guide or for transmitting optical images. The fiber has polished surfaces coated with a material of suitable refractive index. Light entering one end within a certain solid angle undergoes total refraction at the surface and is transmitted through fiber. The technical point of view there are main two types of optical fiber wave-guide is used at the present time. There are two basic types of fiber used today and many different types of Fiber Optic Cable. The two types of fiber are called SingleMode (SM) and MultiMode (MM), and SM fiber is more expensive but more efficient than MM fiber. SingleMode fiber is generally used where the distances to be covered are greater. Cables come in a variety of configurations determined by a variety of factors. With the major research and development work being done in the field of fiber optics and its diversified applications in telecom industry and submarine communications.

Advantages of Fiber Optic Systems:

For many years it has been appreciated that the use of optical (light) waves as a carrier wave provides an enormous potential bandwidth. Optical carriers have three to six orders of magnitude higher than microwave frequencies. However, the atmosphere is a poor transmission medium for light waves. Optical communication only became a widespread option with the development of low-loss dielectric waveguide. In addition to the potential bandwidth, optical fibre communication offers a number of benefits:

• Size, weight, flexibility. Optical fibres have very small diameters. A very large number of fibres can be carried in a cable the thickness of a coaxial cable.
• Electrical isolation. Optical fibres are almost completely immune from external fields. They do not suffer from cross-talk, radio interference, etc.
• Security. It is difficult to tap into an optical line. It is extremely difficult to tap into an optical line unnoticed.
• Low transmission loss. Modern optical fibre now has better loss characteristics than coaxial cable. Fibres have been fabricated with losses as low as.

An optical fiber (or fibre in British English) is a transparent thin fiber for transmitting light . Fiber optics is the branch of science and engineering concerned with optical fibers. The optical fiber can be used as a medium for telecommunication and networking because it is flexible and can be bundled as cables. Although fibers can be made out of either plastic or glass, the fibers used in long-distance telecommunications applications are always glass, because of the lower optical absorption of glass. The light transmitted through the fiber is confined due to total internal reflection within the material. This is an important property that eliminates signal crosstalk between fibers within the cable and allows the routing of the cable with twists and turns. In telecommunications applications, the light used is typically infrared light, at wavelengths nea r to the minimum absorption wavelength of the fiber in use.

Fiber optic is emerging field in the Indian context and there are vast opportunities to information carrying capacity in the fiber optics panorama. The biggest challenge remaining for fiber optics is economic. Today telephone and cable television companies can cost-justify installing fiber links to remote sites serving tens to a few hundreds of customers. However, terminal equipment remains too expensive to justify installing fibers all the way to homes, at least for present services. Instead, cable and phone companies run twisted wire pairs or coaxial cables from optical network units to individual homes. Time will see how long that lasts.

References:

# E. C. Young, " The new penguin Dictionary of Electronics", Low Price Edition, ELBS and Penguin Books, England, 1979 P. No. 165

# A. K. Chakravarti & N. Shroff, " Photonics and Opto-electronics activities in India: Present and future directions", Electronics Information and Planning, New Delhi, 1998, P. No. 1 to 6

# J. Wilson et. al, "Opto-electronics – An Introduction", Prentice Hall of India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 1996 Chapter No. 9

# EFY Correspondent, "Fiber Optics: The Indian Scenario", EFY, New Delhi, December, 1995 P. No. 71 – 74

# A. K. Pipal et. al., "Technology watch on HFC Network", ELP, New Delhi 1996

# G. Keiser, "Optical Fiber Communications", McGraw Hill, London, 1983, Section 9.4

# G. Mahlke and P. Gosling, "Fiber Optic cables, fundamentals", Cable Engineering Systems Planning, Wiley – Chi Chester, 1987

# M. J. Howes and D. V. Morgan [Eds.], "Optical Fiber Communications", Wiley, New York, 1980, Chapter No. 3
 

Dr. Vijay Pithadia
Assistant Professor & Kidevices Chair
School of Management Studies
Shri Lauva Patel Trust College For Women
Amreli – GJ
E-mail : vijaypithadia@lycos.com
 

Source : E-mail June 21, 2004

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