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8 ADVANTAGES TO CHOOSING FIBER OPTIC OVER COPPER CABLE

1. Greater bandwidth

Higher data requirements (video on demand, internet, VoIP, video conferencing, etc) are maxing out our infrastructure and those industries are only in their infancy. Companies who can least afford technological restrictions are having to compromise functionality due to limitations of the aging copper infrastructure. Fiber optic is innovatively engineered to expand — not only for today's technology needs but tomorrow's innovations. Today's singlemode fibers offer users the ability to support their network needs well into the future. With singlemode fibers, companies can easily migrate to 40GbE or even 100GbE and higher in their network backbones.

 

2. Greater distance and low attenuation

Every day we are becoming more and more interconnected. Regionally, nationally, globally — the need for higher capacity, faster transmission rates, increased bandwidth and greater reliability is growing exponentially. Copper infrastructure has been exceeding its limitations for several years now and is at or past the breaking point. Even those with enough foresight to run inter-campus fiber or lease dark fiber are finding they didn't run enough. Fiber optic cables can transmit information over many miles versus copper. For example, 1 Gb of data 40 Km or more vs. copper's 100 meters. That's 25 miles of error-free info over fiber with virtually no latency. In short, fiber goes the distance.

 

3. Security

It doesn't really matter how good your cyber security is if you are relying on copper cabling to be the primary carrier of your vital data. Why? "Compromising emanations" or leaks that are accessible due to copper wire's inherent properties. Nearly $1 TRILLION dollars in intellectual property was stolen last year, much of it in ways that the software and hardware can't prevent. Fiber optics are nearly impossible to tap and can limit access to data and valuable information, particularly when transmissions are encrypted.

 

4. Immunity to noise and better reliability

Electromagnetic Noise (radiated) doesn't interfere only with analog audio and video signals. Noisy environments can corrupt digital data as well, even Ethernet. This can result in dropped bits, corrupt packets and latency — even complete network failures. Electromagnetic Pulse (resulting from lightning) can and does find its way into the copper infrastructure. These high energy pulses don't just cause noise and corrupt data, they destroy equipment. The results: high risk of data errors and exceptionally costly downtime. Fiber optic is non-metallic and not susceptible to interference from sources such as radio, electro-magnetic, electrical or lightning. Because of this, it can be easily and reliably installed in areas that are prone to interference which, in this day and age, is virtually everywhere. Plus, Fiber optic has no issues with grounding, shorting or

Crosstalk of cables, so you'll never experience "humming" or degradation of your signal.

 

5. Isolation

Copper connections produce unwanted and largely unavoidable consequences. When connecting equipment with different power sources, ground loops can be caused due to the different ground paths and varying ground potentials. Buzzing, humming and noise is then introduced, and in the most extreme cases, complete equipment failure can occur. Copper connections also leave a system susceptible to security breaches which can lead to downtime, data corruption and theft. Fiber optic cable is made of glass which is a pure insulator. There is no electrical connection or path between ends. As such, fiber eliminates noise due to ground loops, solves difficult problems in audio environments, provides near absolute security for telecommunications and promotes error free digital data transmission.

 

6. Sustainability

Copper is an unsustainable resource. Mines are being depleted and the environmental and cultural impact of copper mining is taking its toll. International demand is increasing, only making these problems worse.  Cultural atrocities are being perpetrated so that mining can keep up with demand. If the technologically inferior implications of copper aren't enough, before long, copper will simply be economically unfeasible due to restrictions and the demands of the free market. Fiber is made from silica and sand, two of the most plentiful resources on the planet (silica is the second most common element in the Earth's crust, comprising 25.7% of the crust by weight) . Fiber optic cable is composed primarily of super thin filaments of molten silica glass, also known as silicon dioxide (Si02). Fiber is here, has been here, and will be here long after copper has gone the way of the horse and buggy.

 

7. Transparency

Many means of transmitting data, including some fiber solutions, modify or manipulate data in order to fit within a limited bandwidth allocation. This can cause unwanted artifacts and can box you into a corner when it comes to flexibility in application. These transportation schemes receive and re-transmit data in a way that can limit their scope of use. Because of this, you can virtually rest assured that you'll need to replace your interfaces as your needs change. Transparency allows a connection to act like a piece of wire instead of a 'modem'. We recognize the irony in that statement, but it's the best way to put it. When choosing fiber and peripheral fiber equipment, be sure to choose wisely — don't get forced into proprietary systems or schemes that prevent you from fully utilizing your investments. Choose FiberPlex.

 

8. Cost

Copper is a traded commodity so the cost of the raw material is both highly volatile and expensive. Pulling, terminating, debugging and troubleshooting of copper connections can be a very costly and labor intensive process. Due to greater size, weight and lower bandwidth of copper, larger conduit and trenching is often necessary. Inherent in its design considerations, fiber offers lower power consumption and increased rack and cabling density. Fiber is able to provide more services and increased performance with MUCH less material, supports greater system reliability and minimizes downtime. As a bonus, because it doesn't deteriorate or require mechanically failable electrical connections, fiber has far lower maintenance costs.

Sincerely,

 

DOUG SCHWARTZ

Western US Client Relations Executive