Charles Kao, wavumbuye imwe mu miterere y’ibirahure mu myaka ya 1960, yashyizeho urufatiro rw’itumanaho ryihuse cyane mu gihe cy’amakuru kandi azwi nka "se w’itumanaho rya fibre optique." Mbere y’uko Dr. Kao atangira akazi ke, abantu benshi bizeraga ko fibre optique idakwiye kuba igikoresho cy’amakuru kubera gutakaza ibimenyetso byinshi biterwa no gukwirakwira k’urumuri. Dr. Kao yabonye ko mu gusukura neza ikirahure, byashobokaga gukora uduce tw’imigozi mito dushobora kohereza amakuru menshi mu ntera ndende nta kugabanya ibimenyetso cyane kandi bishobora gusimbura insinga z’umuringa mu itumanaho. Yasangiye igihembo cya Nobel muri fiziki n’umuhanga mu bya fiziki w’Umunyakanada Willard S. Boyle (1924-2011) n’umuhanga mu bya fiziki w’Umunyamerika George E. Smith (1930-), Bafatanyije, bavumbuye igikoresho gihujwe n’amashanyarazi cyo guhindura amakuru y’amashanyarazi mu bimenyetso by’amashanyarazi. Fibre optique n’ibikoresho bihujwe n’amashanyarazi bituma itumanaho rya interineti rikoreshwa mu buvuzi bwa none n’ibinyamakuru by’ikoranabuhanga, kimwe n’ibikoresho byihariye byo gufata amashusho mu bikoresho by’amaso na mikorosikopi.

Charles Kao yavutse ku ya 4 Ugushyingo 1933, i Shanghai, mu Bushinwa. Se, umunyamategeko, yahawe impamyabumenyi y’ikirenga muri Kaminuza ya Michigan mu 1925, nyuma aza kuba umwarimu muri Kaminuza ya Soochow i Shanghai. Akiri umwana, Dr. Kao yize ubuvanganzo bwa kera bw’Igishinwa mu rugo hamwe n’umwarimu, yiga Icyongereza n’Igifaransa mu ishuri mpuzamahanga i Shanghai.

Mu 1948, Dr. Kao yimuriye umuryango we i Hong Kong. Mu 1952, Dr. Kao yarangije amashuri yisumbuye muri Koleji ya Mutagatifu Yozefu. Hanyuma yagiye mu Bwongereza kurangiriza amasomo ye ya kaminuza mu by’amashanyarazi muri Woolwich Polytechnic (ubu ni Kaminuza ya Greenwich). Mu 1965, Dr. Kao yabonye impamyabumenyi y’ikirenga mu by’amashanyarazi muri Kaminuza ya Londres, akora nk’injeniyeri muri Ikigo cy’Ubushakashatsi cya Telefoni n’Insinga cya Harlow, mu Bwongereza.

Mu 1970, yinjiye muri Kaminuza y'Abashinwa ya Hong Kong ashinga Ishami ry'Ubwubatsi bw'Amashanyarazi. Mu 1974, yimukiye i Roanoke, muri Virijiniya, muri Amerika, akorera ITT Corporation (ikigo cyakuriye cya Standard Telephone na Cable) nk'umuhanga mukuru w'abahanga, nyuma aza no kuba umuyobozi w'ubuhanga. Muri icyo gihe, hari impapuro nyinshi z'ingenzi zijyanye na fiber optique zatanzwe. Mu 1982, yagizwe umuhanga wa mbere w'abahanga muri ITT maze yimukira muri Connecticut, aho yanabaye umwarimu wungirije muri Kaminuza ya Yale. Mu 1987, Dr. Kao yasubiye muri Kaminuza y'Abashinwa ya Hong Kong nk'umuyobozi wungirije. Yagiye mu kiruhuko cy'izabukuru mu 1996, kuva icyo gihe akaba yaragiye mu mirimo yo kwigisha no mu myanya itandukanye y'icyubahiro.

Mu 2004, Dr. Kao yasanzwemo indwara ya Alzheimer, maze we n'umugore we, May-wan, wahoze ari umuhanga mu gutegura porogaramu za Fortran bahuriye ubwo bigaga i Londres mu myaka ya 1950, bimukira muri Kaliforuniya kugira ngo begere abana babo. Nyuma y'uko Dr. Kao ahawe igihembo cya Nobel, umugore we yavuze mu kiganiro ko icyo gihembo kizakoreshwa mu kwishyura amafaranga y'ubuvuzi ya Dr. Kao, bishoboka ko ari bwo bwa mbere igihembo cya Nobel cyakoreshejwe muri iyo ntego.

Kashe yo muri Hong Kong yibutsa Dr. Kao yasohotse mu 2010. Uretse igihembo cya Nobel, Dr. Kao yahawe ibihembo byinshi, birimo umudari wa Faraday mu 1989, umudari wa Alexander Graham mu 1985, umudari wa Marconi mu 1985, ndetse n'impamyabumenyi nyinshi z'icyubahiro zavuye muri za kaminuza n'amashuri makuru hirya no hino ku isi.