For Verber's idea to work, the light signals must arrive synchronized at the switch. The loop is basically a local memory, Verber explains. The problem with photons is that if you try to make them stay still they disappear. Also, under Verber's plan, the optical switching system can be configured so that data is not lost in an electrical failure. The aim is to build a communications system in which data goes from the transmitting mode to the receiving mode, and remains in optical form throughout.
Fiber optics overcome that problem through the makeup of the fiber itself.
The fewer the bounces, the clearer the signal. It is this phenomenon of light and the principle of refractive index that enable light to pass through an optical fiber even if it is bent. The former have cores big enough for only a single wavelength, and are designed to operate with a coherent laser beam. But the incoherent LED light travels in a much more helter-skelter fashion, creating a blurred signal over long distances. The theoretical capacity of fiber optics is truly astounding.