Applications will emerge, one after another, beyond our wildest imaginations. Optics will provide networking from one city to another allowing teams of doctors in many locations to simultaneously work on the same operation. Optical networking is the most exciting field in the technology world today. Most startup optical companies are focusing on delivering all optical, or what I refer to as pure optical networks. These networks eliminate electrical interfaces at junction points.
Photons are tricky to work with.
As light travels along, it diffuses, and light signals must be refreshed on their course. Today's fiber-optic lines use regenerators to convert light to electricity. Signals are electronically amplified and then converted back into a laser beam. Each light signal needs its own regenerator. The goal, and it will take a while, is to eliminate electronics along the fiber network.