In the modern world, it’s hard to go even a day or a few hours without high-speed internet. Many people rely on the internet to telecommute, run their own business, complete college courses, or connect with friends and family.
If you’re looking for the most reliable, high-speed internet connectivity, fiber optics is one of the best options. Check out our guide to learn everything you need to know about fiber optic speeds and other benefits.
What Is Fiber Optics?
Fiber optics is a type of technology that sends information via light pulses through strands of fiber. Made from either glass or plastic, these fibers travel long distances and can be used for internet connectivity, TV service, or landline phones.
Some of the biggest companies in the world (like Google and Verizon) use fiber optics in some of their highest-performing services, thanks to the greater bandwidth and speed of this technology compared to traditional copper cables.
How Does Fiber Optics Work?
Sending information across glass strands may sound like something out of the future. So how does it work?
The cable contains glass strands that are as thin as human hair and consist of a core, outer cladding, and buffer coating. Light particles, known as photons, speed through the core of the cable in a zig-zag pattern. Because the core doesn’t absorb any of the light, it can travel long distances at about 30% of the speed of light.
Fiber optics systems include a transmitter that creates the light signals, the optical fiber to conduct the light, and a regenerator to revive the light signal over a long distance. Finally, the optical receiver takes the light signals and decodes the information.
What Is the Maximum Fiber Optic Speed?
The fastest fiber optics cable speed available today is 10 Gbps. However, fiber optics technology is ever-evolving and improving, making even faster speeds possible in the near future. The speed of the cable depends on the quality of the controllers, the routers, the memory, and several other conditions.
Though 10 Gbps is the fastest fiber optics speed available through network service, fiber optics can reach even higher speeds. In fact, a Japanese company called NTT reached the fastest recorded fiber optics speed of 1 petabit per second in 2012. For context, 1 petabit is equal to 1 million gigabits.
Benefits of Fiber Optics
In comparison to copper cables, fiber optics offer greater performance for internet, TV, and other technological services. They offer more bandwidth, higher speeds, and can send information across longer distances. Here are just a few of the many benefits of fiber optics technology:
- Higher bandwidth
- Faster speeds
- The ability to travel farther distances
- More reliable
- More durable
- Better cloud access
- More secure
- Stronger signal
Learn More About Fiber Optic Speed for Your Business
Want to learn more about what fiber optics speed can do for your company? Get in touch with FirstDigital to learn how fiber optics can enhance your business operations. As leaders in the industry of fiber optics, we can assess your existing network and help you implement a customized fiber optics solution for your business. Contact us today to learn more.