When you are looking for a network that can handle heavy bandwidth and fast speed, it pays to look at getting fibre optic.
You can read about the differences between the various technologies here. Both copper cables and fibre transmit data but in different ways. Copper carries electrical pulses along its metal strands whereas fibre optics carry pulses of light along flexible glass threads. While fibre is more expensive to set up, the cost is worth it when installing or upgrading a network.
5 Reasons to choose Fibre Optic
1. Fibre Optic is faster
The standard way to measure data transmission rates is via bandwidth. It is currently measured in Gigabits (Gbps) or Terabits (Tbps) per second.
Whereas copper-based transmission can only transmit at a maximum of 40 Gbps, fibre optic can transmit at nearly the speed of light. Up to this time, fibre has been tested to transmit up to hundreds of terabits per second.
2. Fibre Optic transmission can cover bigger distances
Fibre optic can transmit over much longer distances than copper, although both suffer from attenuation (a weakening of the waveform signal over distance).
Copper cables are limited to 100m stretches which make it less than ideal to use over longer distances due to the attenuation. But fibre optic cable can be kilometres long depending on the type of signalling and type of cable.
3. Fibre optic cables are impervious to electromagnetic interference (EMI)
The electrical signalling in a copper network connection generates interference around the cables. When you have multiple cables running close to one another, this can lead to the unwanted transfer of signals between communication channels. This is referred to as crosstalk and can force expensive retransmission of the message, or even pose security risks.
The light transmission in fibre optics does not generate any electromagnetic interference, so fibre is ultimately more secure, and requires less retransmission, which leads to a stronger ROI.
4. Save space and enhance cable management
Fibre optic cables are measured in microns (millionths of a metre) and are very narrow. Even though some of them may have the diameter of a human hair, they can transmit amazing amounts of data over distance at higher speeds than the thicker copper cables. A standard copper cable is about 8mm and carries a fraction of the data.
The additional bonus to this is less cabling mass. The extra space enables increased circulation of a data centre’s cooled air, makes it easier to access the equipment it’s plugged into, and generally just looks better.
5. Fibre optics are future-proof
The data we consume increases yearly as we spend more and more time online. This means that the bandwidth requirements do too. Investing in a modern fibre optic cabling infrastructure allows your network to operate at future speeds without having to substitute the cabling.
A solid multifibre backbone in a structured environment will likely last for decades and ably support increasing bandwidth needs. Alternatively, the average lifespan of a copper category specification is a little over five years.
Also bear in mind that the technologies and equipment that use cabling (switches, signalling optics, servers, etc.) will decrease in cost as the technology improves and time goes by.
It is likely that this technology will become increasingly affordable in the future.
If you are looking for a partner to help you choose your connection to the information highway, why not contact us to see how we can assist you?