Fiber types There are primarily three categories of optical fiber: single mode, multimode graded index, and multimode step index. Fiber-optic communication is a form of optical communication for transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of infrared or visible light through an optical fiber. This article provides the basic principles needed to work with this technology. It's important to note that the size of the light-emitting part of a. At Fiber Optic Systems Inc. Single-mode fibers are characterized by their small core diameter, typically around 8-10 microns.