Coil of 7mm fibre optic cable on cable drum, 1977

Made:
1977 in Harlow
Coil of 7mm fibre optic cable on cable drum, 1977 Coil of 7mm fibre optic cable on cable drum, 1977 Coil of 7mm fibre optic cable on cable drum, 1977 Coil of 7mm fibre optic cable on cable drum, 1977

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 Licence

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 Licence

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 Licence

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Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Coil of 7 mm fibre optic cable, wound on to a cable drum, as used on the Hitchin-Stevenage fibre optic telephone link, made by Standard Telephones and Cables Limited, Harlow, Essex, England, 1977.

Fibreoptic cables carry digital information as a series of pulses of light. The light waves bounce off the walls of the cables in a process called ‘total internal reflection’. The ability of hair-think glass fibres to transmit information was discovered by Charles Kao and his colleague George Hockham in 1969. As well as early theoretical work on the properties of light, Kao played a key role in the practical realisation of the technology. Following trials in the 1970s, fibreoptic cables were used to create the backbone of the internet.

Details

Category:
Telecommunications
Object Number:
2014-57
Materials:
paint, wood (unidentified), plastic (unidentified), glass and metal (unknown)
Measurements:
overall: 186 mm x 375 mm diameter, 7.12 kg
type:
cable
credit:
From STC PLC - Transmission Products Division