What are the Advantages of Optical Fibers?

Every day we read news about new fiber optic projects coming up from many parts of the world. Fiber optic technology is relatively new in communication having around 30 years of developing experience ever since the first fiber optic link was installed in the US. What is the reason behind the use of fiber optics massively being deployed for telecommunication? While comparing with the existing copper communication cables, the optical fibers have many advantages. The advantages of fiber optic technology or more precisely the advantages of optical fibers over copper cables can be summarized as given below:

Expense: Low investment cost: Money matters to a great extent when it comes to the project cost. Fiber systems buying alone may be costly, but when the communication starts through the fiber, it dominates the cheapest option over copper. Fiber is the cheapest communication medium for long distance and short distance high bandwidth transmission. A fiber optic cable having only a single fiber can carry equivalent or more signals for several miles if compared with a 3000 pair copper cable. Long distances of optical cables are cheaper than equivalent lengths of copper wires. Several subscribers can be connected through a few fibers. Cable TV and internet service providers can transmit virtually unlimited bandwidth through optical fiber.

Small size: Let us say mini cables. Fiber optic cables are small in size. The diameter of an optical fiber generally used for telecommunication purpose is 0.25 millimeter. A single fiber cable developed for FTTH and other premise application can be around 2 to 3 millimeter. Fiber optic companies are engaged in further size reduction. Thinner cables makes the installation and handling of optical fibers easy and simple.

Information carrying capacity: Compare to copper cables the information carrying capacity of optical fibers are many times higher. An optical fiber can carry many terra bits of information. The optical supporting devices have to be developed to support optical fibers’ huge potential to carry information.

Low attenuation or light loss: Optical fibers have very low attenuation. This allows the optical fibers to carry the information for long distances with out the need for regenerating. The current single mode fiber cables installation practices requires a repeater typically after 80 kilometers. There are no equivalent comparison for copper cables!

Interference: Since the optical fibers carry light, there is no chance for interference. No cross-talk between different optical fibers. Copper cables are infamous for their cross talk and we all might have heard of other people’s sound in our telephone. This overhearing or cross-talk as known in the industry can be avoided by using optical fibers. Optical fiber communication offers clearer phone conversations or TV reception compared to copper cables.

Lightning resistance: Since optical fibers carry light, they are immune to electrical influences. Optical fiber communications are not affected by lightning. This should not be confused with the protection of metallic armored optical fiber cables from lightning. That is a different type of protection to the safety of optical fiber cables. As far as communication is concerned, optical fibers have high advantage over copper cables in lightning prone areas.

Digitized information: Optical fibers carry information in the digital form. Digital signals are used in computer networks.

Low weight: Optical fiber cables are extremely lightweight. Now a 96 fiber cable having a micro-duct structure weighs approximately 35 kg. A normal duct cable of 96 fibers will have approximately 110kg. The weight varies slightly among different manufacturers according to the design and application of fiber optic cable. But compared to the optical fiber volume and information carrying equivalency of copper cables, optical fiber cables with many advantages are at top that makes them far from comparison.

Flexibility: This is very important for handling and installation. Optical fiber cables are very flexible. Due to their small size and flexible nature of optical fibers, installation of fiber optic cable is easier. This saves in terms of installation cost.

The advantages of optical fibers do not end here. We might have missed many points and will update as when we get more information.