A fiber is thinner than a human hair. Fiber optic networks operate at speeds up to 2.5 gigabits per second, as opposed to 1.54 megabits per second for copper. Fiber can carry information so fast that you could transmit three television episodes in one second. Fiber optic cables have a greater resistance to electromagnetic noise such as radios, motors or other nearby cables. Because optical fibers carry beams of light, they are free of electrical noise and interference.
Fiber optics have a greater capacity for information which means smaller cables can be used.
An optical fiber cable the size of an electrical cord can replace a copper cable hundreds of times thicker. LAN's developed as a result to the information explosion that occurred in the late 1980's. The need for office, laboratory, and factory computers to share information became essential. Since the 1980's, many media have been developed for use in LAN's, each meeting a specific user demand. Glass fiber was developed for use in long distance, high bandwidth applications, but the high cost of hardware and installation has daunted users.