Fiber optic cabling have largely replaced copper wire cabling in core networks because of its advantages over data transmission. When you are planning a new network cable installation or considering upgrades to an existing network, you might want to consider using fiber optic cables.
Here are some of the advantages of fiber optic cabling:
1. Greater Bandwidth. Copper cables were originally designed for voice transmission and have a limited bandwidth. However, no other cable-based data transmission medium offers the bandwidth that fiber does. Fiber optic cables provide more bandwidth for carrying more data than copper cables of the same diameter.
2. Faster Speeds. The volume of data that fiber optic cables transmit per unit time is far greater than copper cables. Fiber optic cables have a core that carries light to transmit data. This allows fiber optic cables to carry signals at speeds that are only about 31 percent slower than the speed of light—faster than Cat5 or Cat6 copper cables.
3. Thinner and Sturdier. Compared to copper cables, fiber optic cables are thinner and lighter in weight. Fiber optic cabling can also withstand more pull pressure than copper and is less prone to damage and breakage.
4. Better Reliability. Fiber optic cabling is immune temperature changes, severe weather and moisture, all of the other factors that can hamper the connectivity of copper cable. Fiber optic cabling also does not carry electric current, so it is not bothered by electromagnetic interference (EMI) that can interrupt data transmission.
5. Lower Total Cost of Ownership. Although some fiber optic cables may have a higher initial cost than copper, the durability and reliability of fiber can make the total cost of ownership (TCO) lower. And, costs continue to decrease for fiber optic cables and related components as technology advances.