What is a key advantage of using optical fibers for data transmission?

Using optical fibers for data transmission offers the significant advantage of higher transmission distance with less signal loss. This is primarily due to the properties of light transmission through glass or plastic fibers, which allows data to travel much longer distances without degradation compared to traditional copper wiring.

In fiber optics, the loss of signal strength over long distances—often referred to as attenuation—is considerably lower than that experienced in electrical cabling. This characteristic enables optical fibers to maintain high-quality signal integrity across extensive networks, which is crucial for telecommunications, internet data transfer, and various other applications that require reliable and efficient data transmission.

The other considerations, such as cost or susceptibility to interference, do not align with the primary advantages of optical fiber technology, making this characteristic of long-distance transmission with minimal loss a defining benefit of using fiber optics in data communication.