Digital communications
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## Contents

- Introduction
- Learning outcomes
- 1 Optical fibre communication: introduction
  - 1.1 Uses of optical fibre in communication
  - 1.2 Wavelength or frequency?
- 2 Elements of an optical-fibre link
  - 2.1 Light sources and detectors
  - 2.2 Fibre types
  - 2.3 Attenuation
  - 2.4 Pulse spreading and bandwidth
    - 2.4.1 Multimode distortion
    - 2.4.2 Dispersion in single-mode fibre
    - 2.4.3 Polarization mode distortion
  - 2.5 Non-Linearity
  - 2.6 Connecting and splicing fibres
    - 2.6.1 Connectors
    - 2.6.2 Splicing
  - 2.7 Cabling
- 3 Optical components
  - 3.1 Introduction
  - 3.2 Directional couplers
  - 3.3 Optical amplifiers
  - 3.4 Optical switches
  - 3.5 Wavelength multiplexing and demultiplexing
- 4 Developments and future directions in optical-fibre communications
  - 4.1 Introduction
  - 4.2 Fibre in the core network
  - 4.3 Optical networking
  - 4.4 Fibre in the access network
    - 4.4.1 FTTCab, FTTC, FTTB and hybrid coaxial fibre
    - 4.4.2 Passive optical networks and Ethernet in the first mile
  - 4.5 Fibre in LANs
    - 4.5.1 Gigabit Ethernet
    - 4.5.2 10 Gigabit Ethernet
    - 4.6 Conclusion to Section 4
- Conclusion
- Appendices
  - Appendix 1 Terminology
  - Appendix 2 Acronyms
- Keep on learning
- References
- Acknowledgements

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