Fiber-Optic Communications
Fiber-optic communication sends information as pulses of light through thin, ultra-pure glass fibers, carrying enormous bandwidth over long distances with little loss. It is the backbone of the modern internet.
Attribution — A defined team or small group developed it together.
Charles Kao showed in 1966 that pure enough glass could carry light over long distances (Nobel Prize, 2009), but realizing it required Corning's team — Robert Maurer, Donald Keck, and Peter Schultz — who made the first low-loss fiber (1970), plus decades of laser and cable engineering.
What counts as the invention: The insight/target (Kao) is distinct from the materials breakthrough (Corning) and the systems engineering that followed.
Contributors
Historical impact
Optical fiber made high-capacity global telecommunications and the internet backbone possible.
Modern relevance
Virtually all long-distance internet traffic travels over optical fiber.
Built on
Led to
Sources & further reading
Each citation names the publisher and the exact reference title.
- The Nobel Prize in Physics 2009 — Charles K. Kao (fiber optics)The Nobel Prize · Professional body
- Engineering and Technology History Wiki (ETHW)IEEE / United Engineering Foundation · Professional body
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