Plastic Optical Fibers (POF) have been overshadowed in the last decade by the success of glass optical fibers. When people hear the term "optical fibers," they immediately think of glass. Few people, including professionals in the business, know about plastic optical fibers (POFs), which predate those made of glass. Because glass fibers have certain advantages, they have dominated the market, while POFs have remained largely in the background. POF had been relegated to low-bit-rate and short-distance applications. However, recent technological advances and the emergence of new applications in the automotive, avionics, consumer electronics, and short-distance interconnect industries have propelled POF into the limelight as a lower-cost alternative to glass fiber or copper at medium distances and at bit rates of 40Gbps.