Fiber-optic communication
Videos
Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of infrared or visible light through an optical fiber. The light is a form of carrier wave that is modulated to carry information. Fiber is preferred over electrical cabling when high bandwidth, long distance, or immunity to electromagnetic interference is required. This type of communication can transmit voice, video, and telemetry through local area networks or across long distances.
Stealth Communications fiber crew installing a 432-count dark fiber cable underneath the streets of Midtown Manhattan, New York City
A GBIC module (shown here with its cover removed), is an optical and electrical transceiver, a device combining a transmitter and a receiver in a single housing. The electrical connector is at top right and the optical connectors are at bottom left
A cable reel trailer with conduit that can carry optical fiber
Volta Laboratory and Bureau
Videos
The Volta Laboratory and the Volta Bureau were created in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., by Alexander Graham Bell.
Volta Bureau in 2008
The Volta Laboratory which Bell used from 1885 to 1922
Side of the Volta Bureau in 2022
A rare 1884 laboratory photo showing the experimental recording of voice patterns by a photographic process (Smithsonian photo No. 44312-E)