Being that optical fibers are made from glass, some have assumed that this means that optical fibers are extremely fragile. This could not be more untrue. Fiber optic cables are constructed from ultra-pure silica glass, which is an extremely strong material that has the ability to easily handle temperature and pressure extremes. Optical fibers actually have a higher tensile strength (600,000 psi) than copper or metal strands of the same diameter.

One of the greatest benefits to using optical fiber is the capacity and speed of such a system. Obviously, light travels much faster than an electrical system (as with a metal wire system), thereby allowing faster reception and delivery of information. Light signals propagating in the fiber can be modulated at rates as high as 40 Gb/s. Also, fiber optic systems have a much higher capacity for bandwidth than more traditional systems, such as copper wire or coaxial cable.

Fiber optic technology would not be possible if it were not for the process known as total internal reflection. It is this process which guides the information, in the form of light, and allows it to be directed in the intended path of dispersal. Without total internal reflection, data would be lost or absorbed by external components and transmission of information in this method would not be possible. As the name implies, total internal reflection is a principle which completely surrounds the core of the optical fiber, thereby containing the signal within the core of the fiber.