Fiber optic communication transmits information using pulses of light through optical fibers. It uses optical transmitters to convert electrical signals to optical signals that are sent through the fiber, and optical receivers that convert the returning optical signals back to electrical signals. Modern systems use technologies like dense wavelength division multiplexing to maximize the bandwidth capacity of each fiber by transmitting multiple parallel channels of data on different wavelengths of light. Fiber attenuation necessitates the use of in-line amplifiers to boost signal strength over long distances.