Fiber In Communications

Fiber has become the communications medium of choice for telephones, cell phones, CATV, LAN backbones, security cameras, industrial networks, just about everything.

Why use fiber?The biggest advantage of optical fiber is the fact it is the most cost effective means of transporting information. FIber can transport more information longer distances in less time than any other communications medium, as the photo on the left from the late 1970s illustrates so well. The bandwidth and distance capability of fiber means that fewer cables are needed, fewer repeaters, less power and less maintenance. In addition, fiber is unaffected by the interference of electromagnetic radiation which makes it possible to transmit information and data with less noise and less error. Fiber is lighter than copper wires which makes it popular for aircraft and automotive applications. These advantages open up the doors for many other advantages that make the use of optical fiber the most logical choice in data transmission.

these advantages have led to fiber becoming the transport medium of choice for practically all data, voice and video communications.

Both telcos and CATV operators use fiber for economic reasons, but their cost justification requires adopting new network architectures to take advantage of fiber's strengths. LAN and premises network designers and installers now realize that they must also adopt new network architectures too. A properly designed premises cabling network can also be less expensive when done in fiber instead of copper. Conversion from copper networks is easy with media converters, gadgets that convert most types of systems to fiber optics. Even adding the cost of the media converters, the fiber optic network will usually be less than copper when the proper architecture is used.

December 2, 2011

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