Fiber provides higher bandwidth capacity than copper, and it exhibits superior performance of up to 10 gigabytes per second. “Fiber E” can carry the latest carrier technologies and networks more efficiently than legacy copper. In essence, fiber optic cable can carry more information with greater clarity and fidelity than copper wire.

Because information transmitted over fiber optics is carried light spectrum, very little signal loss occurs during transmission. Data will move at higher speeds and retain integrity of information at greater distances. Unlike copper, fiber does not lose integrity after the 10,000 foot mark of distance. Fiber distances can have segments as long as 25 miles depending on composition of the cable, light spectrum, wavelength, and network. Because fiber signals need less boosting than copper, fiber is simply a better choice.

Data is inherently protected within fiber cables because it is encapsulated in light. It allows for a higher grade of security protocols, and the traditional “tapping” of the physical cable does not work on fiber. Fiber networks also centralizes and reduces equipment clutter throughout your building, allowing for cleaner installations and a single dedicated space for your telecommunications equipment.

Fiber insures exemplary and reliable data transmissions. Environmental factors that affect copper are not a factor with fiber. The fiber is made of glass, which is an insulator to electrical current making it immune to electromotive and radio-frequency interference (EMI/RFI). Typical issues with cooper such as crosstalk disappear. You can run fiber cable next to industrial equipment without any effect on the data transmissions. Fiber does not react to typical temperature fluctuations that exist in most manufacturing environments. It can be submerged in water without danger of corrosion.

Fiber is lighter, thinner, and much more durable than copper and without the risks of deterioration. Fiber optic cable has 10 times greater “pulling strength” than copper. Smaller diameters and weight make handling easier and create greater “fill capacity” in conduits and trays. Advancements in fiber termination procedures, bonding equipment, and tools are making termination much easier and not as labor-intensive as copper. Testing and circuit validation of fiber is having higher success rates than the aging copper infrastructures.

Today, copper to fiber migration is easy with the proliferation and lower costs of media converters. Today’s media converters are allowing for seamless linking of copper to fiber, and they allow the use of existing hardware and internal cabling. Thus it is making more sense for fiber to be incorporated into the network when planning upgrades.

The new standards state: “TIA/EIA-785 provides a cost-effective migration path from 10 Megabytes (Mbps) Ethernet to 100-Mbps Fast Ethernet over fiber (100BASE-SX).” This addendum to the standards eliminates limitations in new equipment designs. In June 2002, the IEEE approved the first 10-Gigabit Ethernet (10-GbE) standard.

Actual costs for fiber cable, components, and hardware are steadily decreasing. Although fiber is initially more expensive than copper to install, it is less expensive when you factor in the many advantages that fiber offers. Fiber costs less to maintain, has almost no downtime, and requires less supporting network hardware. Fiber also eliminates the need for excessive cable upgrades to increase higher network usage allocations.