Its strands of pure glass as thin as a human hair keep us connected to the internet, provide a clear telephony link for us to speak with family and friends, and arrest our attention in front of the television screen as we binge-watch our favorite show. That is how integral fiber optic cables are to our daily lives.
On the business and enterprise side, fast data transmissions, thinner, lighter cables and long signal ranges are some additional benefits that make fiber optic a solid choice for corporations.
But What is Fiber Optic Cable, Exactly?
Fiber optic cable (also referred to as optical fiber cable) pulses light that carries data through flexible fibers. This very thin strand acts as a waveguide to transmit anything from telephony, secured data, and video programming, ensuring robust network connectivity across countries and continents.
Fiber optic cable selection offers a variety of types, performance metrics and installation requirements. Based on the need, enterprises should most notably consider the distance and speed of their desired network. Signal transmission distance is dependent on the type of cable, the wavelength and the network itself.
Telecommunications and Data Networking
There are numerous services that benefit from fiber-optic cables in the telecommunications and data networking sectors. Major telecommunication and data networking service providers use fiber optic cables for their telephony and data transmissions. The fiber optic technology is comparable to that of the coaxial cables, apart from that the optical fibers are able to handle more conversations and data transmissions concurrently.
With billions of transactions occurring daily across the globe, fiber optic cables are used to connect servers and corporations in a variety of network settings. They help in increasing the accuracy and speed of data transmissions, and are integral in the development, research and testing across applications.
According to Bloomberg, during the 1990s dot-com boom, phone companies spent more than $20 billion laying fiber-optic lines under the oceans. Today, the undersea cable sector is experiencing a resurgence, with Facebook and Alphabet Inc.’s Google behind about 80% of recent investments in transatlantic links. The tech giants are wanting to tap the growing demand for fast-data transfers used for streaming movies to social messaging and telemedicine.
How Does Fiber Optic Cable Actually Work?
Light travels through the core of the fiber optic cable by reflecting off of its sides. With the exception of the light source, no power is required to transmit a signal. One of the things that makes fiber optic a stronger choice over conventional coaxial cables is that its light pulses will travel farther distances without weakening and need to be regenerated.
The optic cable is composed of two layers: The core, which carries the light signal, and the cladding, which is a layer of glass surrounding the core. Most fibers operate in pairs: one fiber is used to transmit and the other is used to receive. But it is possible to send both signals over a single strand of fiber optic cable.
There are two main types of fiber optic cables: Single Mode Fiber (SMF) and Multi-Mode Fiber (MMF). The difference is in the size of its core. MMF has a much wider core, allowing multiple modes (or “rays”) of light to flow. SMF has a very narrow core which allows only a single mode of light.
Core size is important in determining how far a signal will travel. In general, the smaller the core, the farther the light will travel. SMF has a small core, which keeps the path of light narrow and allows it to travel up to 100km.
MMF has a bigger core capable of carrying more data but it is susceptible to signal quality problems over longer distances, making it more suited to premises cabling and short haul networks.
Installation
Fiber optic cable may be installed using several different installation processes. Outdoor cable may be directly buried, pulled or blown into conduit or innerduct, or installed aerially between poles.
This is why having the right partner when installing a fiber optic infrastructure. For more than 30 years, telecommunication infrastructure installers like Hugh O’Kane Electric (HOK), led by President Hugh R O’Kane; has become a leading telecom network installation and service provider for New York City and its metro area. The company has been upgrading, expanding and installing networks for a variety of public and private enterprises on a regular basis.
This institutional expertise Hugh O’Kane is able to provide to private and public entities is paramount in order to design and implement network projects that can successfully expand their service offerings to increase their market share and gain more customers. This lineage and industry expertise has afforded Hugh O’Kane a competitive edge because it has expert knowledge of an area’s infrastructure and is able to work within the required parameters of existing networks much more easily. In doing so, Hugh O’Kane is able to take the time required to provide an upgraded telecommunications infrastructure needed to ensure continuous, robust connectivity set up municipalities and private enterprises for successful growth.
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