6 SPRING 2026 Over the last 20 years or so, fiber-optic lines have taken over the telecommunications industry, primarily to increase the speed of digital information transmission. When fiber-optic cable replaces copper wiring, it also dramatically lowers costs, increases the datacarrying capacity of internet connections, and improves both phone clarity and streaming video quality. To help you understand the basics of how a fiber-optic cable works, we’ll start with this example: Imagine a flexible plastic pipe that’s several miles long with its insides coated with a perfect mirror. Now imagine you’re looking into one end of the pipe and several miles away at the other end, a friend turns on a flashlight and shines it into the pipe. Because the interior of the pipe is a perfect mirror, the flashlight’s light will reflect off the sides of the pipe, and you will see it at the other end. If your friend were to turn the flashlight on and off in a Morse code fashion, your friend could communicate with you through the pipe. That is the essence of how a fiber-optic cable works. However, making a cable out of a mirrored tube would be bulky and difficult. That’s why fiber-optic cable is actually made out of incredibly pure glass, so pure so that even though it is several miles long, light can still make it through. This glass is drawn into a very thin strand with a thickness comparable to that of a human hair and then coated in two layers of reflective plastic. A light source—typically a laser—switches on and off rapidly at one end of the cable to transmit digital data. The light travels through the glass strands and continuously reflects off the inside of the mirrored plastic coatings in a process known as total internal reflection. Systems based on fiber optics can transmit billions of bits of data per second, and they can even carry multiple signals along the same fiber by using lasers of different colors. Huxley Communications is expanding our fiber network. Visit www.huxcomm.net/huxley-fiber-areas to learn more. Understanding How Fiber-Optic Cable Works Debunking Claims Made by Satellite and 5G Providers You may be hearing misleading statements from providers offering satellite or 5G wireless internet. Let’s set the record straight. Claim #1: Satellite is just as fast as fiber. The Truth: In real-world performance, fiber internet is consistently much faster in both download and upload speeds than satellite internet. Satellite providers often promise fast “up to” speeds, but they fail to disclose that network congestion or inclement weather can significantly slow things down. Claim #2: 5G works great everywhere. The Truth: While 5G can work well in cities with tower saturation and flat, unobstructed terrain, the same isn’t true elsewhere. In rural areas, 5G often requires line-of-sight, and the farther away you are from a wireless tower—or the more trees and hills between you and the tower—the worse your signal gets. Claim #3: Fiber is too expensive. The Truth: Fiber internet is an excellent value and can be more affordable for your business over the long haul by avoiding the costs of service interruptions, slower uploads, and outages. Have questions about fiber internet from Huxley Communications? Call 515-597-2281.
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