Fiber Optics refers to the concept of transmitting information, in the form of light, through cable fibers composed of highly purified glass or plastic, clad in a reflective coating. This allows the light beam to travel the length of the cable by bouncing off the reflective sides of the fiber.
The advantages of a Fiber Optic system are: Information carrying capacity is greatly increased, while overall size and weight of the cable is greatly reduced.
Information can be transmitted at a much higher speed over long distances.
Security is increased because information is transmitted in the form of light through a non-conductive media (glass), whereas, electricity traveling through wires can be tapped by an outside agent, or accidentally pick up transmissions from other sources of electro-magnetic radiation.
