A fiber optic cable is a network cable that contains fiberglass wires in an insulated housing. They are designed for high-speed, high-performance data networks and telecommunications.
Compared to wired cables, fiber optic cables offer higher bandwidth and can transmit data over longer distances.
Fiber optic cables support much of the world's Internet, cable, and telephone systems.
Fiber optic cables carry communication signals using light pulses generated by small lasers or light emitting diodes (LEDs).
The cable consists of one or more strands of glass, each being only slightly thicker than a strand of human hair. The center of each strand is called the core, which provides the path for light to travel. The core is surrounded by a layer of glass called plating that reflects light inward to avoid signal loss and allows light to pass through the bends in the cable.
The two main types of fiber cables are called single-mode and multi-mode fibers . Single-mode fiber uses very thin glass wires and a laser to generate light, while multi-mode fibers use LEDs.
Single-mode fiber optic networks often use Wave Division (WDM) multiplication techniques to increase the amount of data traffic that can be transmitted over the wire. WDM allows light at several different wavelengths to be combined (multiplexed) and subsequently separated (de-multiplexed), effectively transmitting multiple communication streams through a single light pulse.
The advantages of fiber optic cables
Fiber cables offer more advantages than traditional long-distance copper cables.
Fiber optics has a higher capacity. The amount of network bandwidth that a fiber cable can carry easily exceeds that of a copper cable of similar thickness. 10 Gbps, 40 Gbps and even 100 Gbps fiber optic cables are standard.
Because light can travel much longer on a fiber cable without losing power, it reduces the need for signal amplifiers.
Fibers are less susceptible to interference. A traditional network cable requires special shielding to protect it from electromagnetic interference. While this shielding helps, it is not enough to prevent interference when many cables are tied together in close proximity to each other. The physical properties of glass and fiber cables avoid most of these problems.
Fiber to Home (FTTH), other implementations and fiber optic networks
While most fibers are installed to support long-distance connections between cities and countries, some residential ISPs have invested in expanding their fiber facilities in suburban neighborhoods for direct household access. Suppliers and industry professionals call these facilities "last mile".
Some of the most popular FTTH services on the market today include Verizon FIOS and Google Fiber. These services can provide gigabit internet speeds (1 Gbps) to every household. However, although suppliers also offer lower costs, they usually also offer their customers smaller capacity packages.
FTTP (Fiber to the Premises): Fiber to the building.
FTTB (Fiber to Building / Business / Block): Same as FTTP.
FTTC / N (Fiber at the edge of the knot): Fiber that is knotted, but then copper wires complete the connection inside the building.
Direct fibers: Fiber that comes out of the central office and is attached directly to a single customer. It offers the highest bandwidth, but is more expensive.
Shared record: similar to direct fiber, except that the fiber approaches the premises of nearby customers, is divided into other fibers for those users.
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