Fiber Optic Cabling Is Better Than Ever

Fiber optic cabling and end equipment use light pulses to transmit information. Fiber optic cables are made up of transparent glass or plastic fibers which allow light to be guided from one end to the other with minimal loss. Single mode fiber optic cables give a higher transmission rate and used for long distances, while multimode fiber optic cables can provide high bandwidth at high speeds over medium distances. From an installation standpoint, fiber optic cables are much smaller and lighter as compared to other copper-based cables. As a result, fiber optic cables are easier to handle require less time and effort to install.

In the past, fiber optic cable were proven to be a superior technology for a number of different applications, but it has always thought to have been too fragile or too expensive to be deployed for general, wide-spread use. As with all things, fiber optic technology has improved over time to become more durable and resilient, so now it is even easier to work with and install. Additionally, the manufacturing processes have also been improving and the cost of fiber optic cabling is about the same as typical ethernet data cabling.

The direct advantages of using a fiber optic network are numerous. First, there is the lower power consumption for the IT network, which equates to a lower operating cost. The IT and Facility managers will immediately realized the experiencing in the form of savings from the reduced utility bill every month. The equipment used for a Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) fiber optic implementation is typically about 50% more energy efficient than the traditional networking equipment found in a IDF/Telco closet. This reduction in energy consumption for the IT network also means there is a huge reduction in the amount Greenhouse Gas that is emitted into the atmosphere. "Greening" an office building has typically meant upgrading the lighting to a more efficient alternative (e.g., CFL, LED) or using more efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

Next, fiber optic cabling provides more bandwidth which allows everyone to get access to more information at faster speeds. For example, downloading a 2 GB movie over a typical "Fast Ethernet" connection (100 Mbps) would take almost 22 minutes. Now imagine a user downloading the same movie over GPON with fiber optic cabling, and it would only take about 2 minutes. By providing quicker access to volumes of data, it will empower end-users to be more productive.

Lastly, fiber optic cabling is being deployed in offices, buildings and campuses to provide an ultra efficient, high-speed broadband network for every user. A GPON fiber optic solution is being deployed because of it's ability to provide a simplified, more secure, and much more cost effective way to deploy and manage any ethernet-based service requirement found throughout the corporate-wide enterprise.