As the United States begins to adopt fiber optic, it might feel like the future has arrived. The switch from copper wire to fiber optic has meant faster speeds and a sturdier connection. Just because fiber optic is rolling out doesn’t mean that’s the end of the story. This is just the beginning of what fiber optic will accomplish.

For one thing, fiber optic is much easier to upgrade than regular copper wires. Unlike copper, which has segments closer together, fiber optic’s segments are able to be spaced out further, requiring far less digging up. This facilitates even more innovations, as having to do so much work in order to upgrade network lines is no longer an obstacle.

That said, what will these upgrades accomplish? A big one would be improving internet speeds. While fiber lines right now can carry speeds upwards of 10 Gbps, this doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. It’s been tested that speeds could reach 44 Tbps, over 400 times what customers can receive now!

Even beyond internet speeds, fiber optic can be applied into many industries. The automotive, healthcare, and manufacturing industries are all looking towards applying fiber optic to their plans in the future. With those sorts of fields backing them, who knows what the future could hold for fiber optic?