Optical fiber began to be used as communication technology in the late 1980s, when the first intercontinental cable connected the United States to Europe. Years later, advances in technology allowed the number of simultaneous connections to increase from 40,000 to 200 million connected telephone circuits at the same time – all thanks to tools like CDWM and DWDM (allowing different data to be transmitted over the same physical channel). Today, fiber cables are now capable of transmitting 1.6 Tbit / s.
With the expansion of Internet services such as VoIP, cloud computing and video conferencing, businesses need faster and faster connections. To keep a large number of computers connected while delivering a stable, fast, low-latency connection, organizations are migrating to fiber optics. Want to know more about it? So read this post and find out how it works and what its advantages:
What is Fiber Optics?
It is an extremely thin and flexible ultra-pure glass or silica filament. Its structure is composed of a protective cover, interface and core. Data transmission is done with the aid of a photometer that transforms electrical signals into light pulses. Through a process known as total internal reflection, light travels for long distances without suffering any kind of attenuation.
The fiber optic cable is produced by a complex process in which multiple layers of insulating materials and reflectors are integrated into steel wires and plastics to ensure the wire has greater robustness and more interference protection.
Because it is small in size, immune to electromagnetic disturbances and can transmit large amounts of data, fiber optics has replaced conventional data transmission technologies. To meet the different needs of the market, there are two types of cables. Learn more about them below:
Single Mode Cable
- Used for long range communications;
- High value;
- Complex construction and handling;
- Allows the transfer of only one light signal;
- It has a nucleus of 8 to 9 μm and a shell of 125 μm;
- Range limited to four kilometers for structured cabling;
- Smaller dimensions when compared with other types of fiber;
- Use of wavelengths of 1,310 or 1,550 μm;
- Longer wavelength, allowing transmission of large amount of data.
Multimode Cable
- Used in inter- and intra-primary primary cabling;
- It has a larger core than a single-mode cable;
- Allows the use of light sources cheaper than single-mode cables;
- It has a 2km range for structured cabling;
- Used in applications with limited resources and low distance.
The Erased Fiber
It is nothing more than a cabling structure installed and ready to transmit data, but that is inactive. These structures are usually hired by companies to perform temporary tasks such as backups, entry into cloud computing systems, and projects that demand high transfer rates over a short period of time. For telephone companies, “dark fiber” gives more security in case of major network crashes and reduces the costs of expansions.
The Lighted Fiber
The term illuminated fiber is assigned to network structures that are in use. It is also acquired through carriers like Vogel.
Fiber optics will allow us to create new tools and solutions in areas such as medicine, government services, Big Data, telecommunications, video conferencing and cloud computing. Because of its greater data transfer capacity, fiber has helped companies innovate through more complex services that handle more information simultaneously.
Did you know that Sopto has many products related to fiber optics? Get to know our network solutions for your business!