Fibre Optics and Traditional Cable Technology

Uses of Optical Fibres

In this section we will show you how optical fibres are used. As you will be able to see when you read further, optical fibres are revolutionising fields like communications and medicine.

Telecommunications Industry

Until the optical fibre network was developed, telephone calls were mainly sent as electrical signals along copper wire cables. As demand for the systems to carry more telephone calls increased, simple copper wires did not have the capacity, known as bandwidth, to carry the amount of information required.

    Systems using coaxial cables like TV aerial leads were used but as the need for more bandwidth grew, these systems became more and more expensive especially over long distances when more signal regenerators were needed. As demand increases and higher frequency signals are carried, eventually the electronic circuits in the regenerators just cannot cope.

    Optical fibres offer huge communication capacity. A single fibre can carry the conversations of every man, woman and child on the face of this planet, at the same time, twice over. The latest generations of optical transmission systems are beginning to exploit a significant part of this huge capacity, to satisfy the rapidly growing demand for data communications and the Internet.  

The main advantages of using optical fibres in the communications industry are:

- A much greater amount of information can be carried on an optical fibre compared to a copper cable.

- In all cables some of the energy is lost as the signal goes along the cable. The signal then needs to be boosted using regenerators. For copper cable systems these are required every 2 to 3km but with optical fibre systems they are only needed every 50km.

- Unlike copper cables, optical fibres do not experience any electrical interference. Neither will they cause sparks so they can be used in explosive environments such as oil refineries or gas pumping stations.

- For equal capacity, optical fibres are cheaper and thinner than copper cables which makes them easier to install and maintain.

Here is a look at how fibre optic cables are made, the process is incredible!

 

Fiber Optic Vs. Cable

Technology is constantly advancing and along with improvements in automobile and cell phone technology are advancements in the way our houses are linked to the world. Cable technology seems to be fading into the background as fiber optic technology is steadily making its name known, offering a number of benefits you could never have with traditional copper wire and cable.

Resistance to Interference

-While copper cables are subject to interference from other wires, radio signals and other forms of electromagnetic interruption, you'll find none of that with fibre optics. This is because fibre optic cables work using light pulses, meaning the cables aren't metal but are instead made of glass. Therefore it is not subject to the same issues as traditional copper cables.

Bandwidth

-Fiber optic cables are said to have "limitless bandwidth." While this isn't literally true, it's close, featuring more bandwidth than most people would ever hope to use. This results in a super-fast connection that runs circles around the bandwidth allotted by cable connections.

Maintenance

-Because fiber optics are made of glass strands rather than expensive metal materials, it costs much less to maintain and service. Traditional cables, however, don't have this benefit.

Picture Quality

-While it's possible to get high definition picture using cable, it doesn't compare to the high-quality of a fibre optic set up. This is because of the power of the technology on top of the lack of external interference found with fibre optic cables.

Other Benefits

-Considering that people are slowly making the transition to fibre optic cable technology, the advantage of converting as soon as you can is that you'll be ready for the change if it ever becomes mandatory. Along with this, you'll be on the cutting edge, having the highest quality available for your home phone, television and internet

Here is a great site for a more detailed look at types of transmission media: 
http://ninjacraze.hubpages.com/hub/Data-Communication