City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics

L acking
9
‘‘The Only Thing Left
Is Optical Fibers’’
(1960–1966)
It may well be that what appears an impractical approach
today may prove to be a success tomorrow, as a result of
developments in materials and/or techniques. ...We
point out clear advantages of some methods of [light] guiding,
but the ultimate choice will be made in years to come
against the background of materials technology.
—Antoni E. Karbowiak, in a 1964 paper that
concluded ‘‘of all the [optical] guides to date, the
fiber guide appears to hold most promise.’’ 1
the immense resources of AT&T, Standard Telecommunication Laboratories
looked at many ideas, investigated some, and seriously pursued
only the few most promising concepts. Periodically, research managers faced
the tough job of weeding out the losers. In the early 1960s, STL essentially
abandoned the millimeter waveguide.
It was a sensible commercial decision, although it must not have been a
pleasant one for men like Toni Karbowiak, who had invested a decade in the
technology. Expensive millimeter waveguides made sense only for highcapacity,
long-distance ‘‘trunk’’ communications between far-flung population
centers. American needed them because it sprawled across a continent.
Britain had different telecommunication needs; its cities spanned an island,
and it had little room for systems that couldn’t turn tight corners. STL decided
it couldn’t sell enough millimeter waveguides to justify the high development
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