Advantages of Fiber Optic Cable over Copper Wire
When dealing with data transmission you have two basic options: fiber or copper. The final choice depends on a wide variety of variables but ultimately fiber optic cable will be the data transmission of choice for your new network as well as the replacement of old configurations. Fiber optic cable is becoming one of the fastest growing transmission mediums for a variety of applications. Some of the more favorable applications include high band width, long distances and complete immunity to electrical interference. One of the most common applications is as a network backbone, where large amounts of data are transferred.
Other features include the use of singlemode and multimode cables. One singlemode fiber can replace a metal cable that is a thousand times larger and heavier. Multimode cables on the other hand have a larger diameter and are used to carry signals over shorter distances. Other advantages of fiber optic cable include a longer life expectancy, low system cost, no shock hazard, no sparks if cut and low attenuation. Fibers are also used for illumination and are wrapped in bundles so they can be used to carry images, thus allowing viewing in tight spaces.
To make a long story short, fiber optic cable is the future and copper wiring is one of the oldest transmission channels in use today. Some of the main disadvantages of copper are the high costs and the susceptibility to corrosion and rain. Due to the advantages of fiber and the disadvantages of copper, telecommunication companies around the world are using nothing but fiber optic cables and are replacing all of their older cable systems with fiber.