The sector

The future began with glass fibres. They are used for data transmission and they are bringing the world closer together. The world wide web is spun from these fibres and glass fibre optic cables keep traffic on the move. Glass fibre optic cables can be used to send vast volumes of data via laser beam over long distances at extremely high speeds. An optical fibre cable is made of up to 144 fibres. It can carry around a hundred thousand telephone calls or transmit several TV programs to several TV sets simultaneously. Further advantages of optical fibre cables, in addition to their high efficiency, are low attenuation and low sensitivity to electromagnetic interference. Glass fibres are also used as insulating fibres for sound, heat and fireproofing, and they are used in the form of a woven textile made of aluminium borosilicate glass to reinforce plastic. Textile glass fibres are used in wind turbine blades and in car dashboards.