Fiber Optics vs. Copper Cabling: Uses, Benefits & Speeds

Introduction to Fiber Optic Technology

Designed and engineered for high-speed data transfer applications, fiber optic cabling technologies use a modulated light source across glass cable to achieve transfer rates ranging from 500 Kbps to 6.4 Tbps — among the fastest of any interface and communications technology (Davey, Nesset, Rafel, Payne, Hill, 13). Using a transmitter, regenerator, and receiver, fiber optical networks are designed to support high-burst types of transmissions and data transactions. Cable television, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), data-intensive local area networks, and CCTV-based networks all use fiber optic cabling, as this technology has inherent advantages over copper and other network transport materials (Johnson, Gilfedder, 63, 64). This analysis presents the unique attributes of fiber optics technology, its advantages over copper cabling, and an evaluation of this networking technology based on fiber configuration and key characteristics. Fiber optic technologies are also pervasively used throughout disk drive interfaces for bandwidth-intensive applications (Ferelli, 15, 16).

Comparing Copper and Fiber Optic Cables

Compared to copper, fiber optic network technologies offer significantly greater bandwidth, higher transfer speeds, substantially lower maintenance costs, and greater security and stability of messaging. The most fundamental difference, however, is the variation in how the electronics managing fiber optic interfaces use a modulated signal per fiber in the cable. There are single-mode and multimode fiber cables, which are significantly different from those found in copper cabling, which rely on just a single configuration.

Single-mode fiber cables transmit one signal per fiber and have small cores of approximately 9 microns, which are used for transmitting infrared light (Ferelli, 23, 24). Single-mode fibers are often used in telephone and cable television systems because they are relatively inexpensive to produce at scale, offer significantly greater reliability than copper, and have exceptional flexibility for use in more complex configurations (Davey, Nesset, Rafel, Payne, Hill, 13).

Multimode fibers are the second type of fiber optic cable produced. This cabling technology supports many signals per fiber, sent in both fully synchronous and asynchronous modes (Davey, Nesset, Rafel, Payne, Hill, 13). An essential feature of this technology is that the cores measure 62.5 microns and transmit data in infrared light bursts over the fiber optic cable (Hunt, 28, 29), ensuring signal accuracy through the use of Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) carrier arbitration, which is inherent in a TCP/IP network's structure. The ability to operate at significantly higher speeds without contending with interference from cable properties is another significant advantage of fiber optic over copper.

Single-Mode vs. Multimode Fiber in LAN and WAN Environments

Multimode fiber optic networks are now the technology of choice for Local Area Network (LAN) and wide-area network (WAN) configurations that must often interlink operating centers, manufacturing centers, and IT centers (Hunt, 30). Copper cable has a longer range than fiber optic cabling, yet carries significant disadvantages in terms of security, scalability, cost, power consumption, and configurability as a networking component.

Fiber optic cabling used as the foundation of a LAN or WAN has significant advantages over copper for short-range communications. When longer-range network configurations are considered, the advantages of fiber optic become even more pronounced (Johnson, Gilfedder, 63, 64). Because fiber optic cabling is very thin, light, flexible, and easily managed in difficult physical locations, it is also less expensive to install and maintain (Hatfield, Lamb, Tegarden, 24, 25). Additionally, fiber optic cable has significantly less impedance than copper, making it more effective at managing asynchronous information flows across broader networks compared to copper-based alternatives (Johnson, Gilfedder, 63, 64). As a result, there is significantly less signal degradation and loss of communication. Furthermore, because fiber optic cable lacks electrical conductivity, it does not heat up, expand, contract, or lose any of its transmission properties over time. Fiber optic cable therefore has a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), as it does not experience the continual wear and tear affecting the metallurgical properties of copper wire (Ferelli, 23, 24).

Conclusion

Comparing fiber optic and copper cabling illustrates how rapidly innovation in the former is occurring. No longer having to wait for the development of customized networks, systems planners and developers can create entire networks in less time and gain a clearer understanding of the Total Cost of Ownership from the outset. Fiber optic technology makes the task of network planning more efficient and reliable, though potentially more costly than copper-based alternatives.

References

Davey, R.P., D. Nesset, A. Rafel, D.B. Payne, and A. Hill. "Designing Long Reach Optical Access Networks." BT Technology Journal 24.2 (2006): 13.

Ferelli, Mark. "Fibre Channel Momentum Builds in Enterprise and Clustering Markets." Computer Technology Review: Storage Inc. 1 Jul. 1998.

Hatfield, D., W. Lamb, and L. Tegarden. "On the Shoulders of Giants: Co-location with Dominant Firms in the Emerging Fiber Optics Industry." Industry and Innovation 14.5 (2007).

Hunt, James. "A New Way to Monitor Using Fibre Optics." Sensor Review 28.3 (2008): 199.

Ichikawa, H., M. Shimizu, K. Akabane, O. Ishida, and M. Teramoto. "A Ubiquitous Wireless Network Architecture and Its Impact on Optical Networks." Computer Networks 52.10 (2008): 1864.

Johnson, D., and T. Gilfedder. "Evolution of Optical Core Networks." BT Technology Journal 25.3–4 (2007): 57–64.