Eli5: How does data move through fiber optic cables?

Question

I understand that there are 1’s and 0’s (on/off) in binary code to transmit data, but does the light inside the fiber optic flash billions of times per second to simulate the 1’s and 0’s? Im also curious if copper ethernet cables work in a similar way to transmit data.

In: Technology

Answer 1

The fiber to your house is just intensity modulated, on=1 off=0. More valuable fibers are [wavelength division modulated](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength-division_multiplexing ), essentially different “colors” of light blinking different bits of the message.