 An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made

by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker

than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a
means to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber and
find wide usage in fiber-optic communications, where they
permit transmission over longer distances and at
higher bandwidths (data rates) than electrical cables. Fibers are
used instead of metal wires because signals travel along them
with less loss; in addition, fibers are immune to electromagnetic
interference, a problem from which metal wires suffer excessively.
 Fiber Core
This is the physical medium that transports optical signals from an atached light
source to a receiving device. The core is a single continuous strand of high- purity
wglass or plastc whose diameter si measured in microns (less than the diameter of the
human hair). The larger the core, the more light the cable can carry, which correlates to
a higher data transfer rate.
 Cladding
This is te thin layer that is extruded over the core and serves as the boundary that
contains the light waves., enabling data to travel through the length of the fiber.
 Coating
This is a plastic coating over the cladding to reinforce the fiber core, help absorb
shocks, and provide extra protection against excesive bable bends. It does not have any
effect on the optical waveguide properties, through.
 Tight Buffer
Contains a thick coating of a plastic-type material which is applied directly
to the outside of each individual fiber.
 Strengthening Fibers
These components help protect the core against crushing forces and
excessive tension during installation. The materials can range from Kevlar , to wire
strands, to gel-filled sleeves. Sometimes light- absorbing(“dark”) glass is added
between the fibers, to prevent light that leaks out one fiber from entering another.
This reduces cross-talk between the fibers.
 Cable Jacket
This is the outer layer , or sheathing, of the cable. Its purpose is to
protect the cable from environmental hazards, such as construction works,
fishing gear, and even sharks, whichs are often attracted to electrical fields
created by the signal conductors to repeaters.
 Internet
Fiber optic cables transmit large amounts of data at very high speeds. This
technology is therefore widely used in internet cables. As compared to traditional
copper wires, fiber optic cables are less bulky, lighter, more flexible, and carry more
data.

 Cable Television
The use of fiber optic cables in the transmission of cable signals has grown
explosively over the years. These cables are ideal for transmitting signals for high
definition televisions, because they have greater bandwidth and speed. Also, fiber
optic cables are cheaper as compared to the same quantity of copper wire.
 Telephone
Calling telephones within or outside the country has never
been so easy. With the use of fiber optic communication, you
can connect faster and have clear conversations without any lag
on either side.
 Computer Networking
Networking between computers in a single building or
across nearby structures is made easier and faster with the use of
fiber optic cables. Users can see a marked decrease in the time it
takes to transfer files and information across networks.
 Surgery and Dentistry
Fiber optic cables are widely used in the fields of medicine and research.
Optical communication is an important part of non-intrusive surgical methods,
popularly known as endoscopy. In such applications, a minute, bright light is
used to light up the surgery area within the body, making it possible to reduce
the number and size of incisions made. Fiber optics are also used in microscopy
and biomedical research.

 Lighting and Decorations

The use of fiber optics in the area of decorative illumination has also grown over
the years. Fiber optic cables provide an easy, economical and attractive solution
to lighting projects. As a result, they are widely used in lighting decorations and
illuminating Christmas trees.
 Mechanical Inspections
Fiber optic cables are widely used in the inspection of
hard-to-reach places. Some such applications are on-site
inspections for engineers and also inspection of pipes for
plumbers.

Military and Space Applications

With the high level of data security required in military
and aerospace applications, fiber optic cables offer the ideal
solution for data transmission in these areas.
 Fiber optic cables play an important role in the lighting
and safety features of present day automobiles. They are
widely used in lighting, both in the interior and exterior of
vehicles. Because of its ability to conserve space and provide
superior lighting, fiber optics is used in more vehicles every
day. Also, fiber optic cables can transmit signals between
different parts of the vehicle at lightning speed. This makes
them invaluable in the use of safety applications such as
traction control and airbags.
Today we Make our Case for Fiber Optics
Both copper and what is essentially glass, or fiber optics,
have their advantages and unique characteristics. Copper
has already existed in many places and it is cheap in
network devices connection. However, with the dramatic
reduction of cost of optical deployment, the future-proof
fiber optic cable shows more advantages over copper and
has a better prospect in the future market.
We are presenting five reasons for the choice in
fiber rather than copper cable from cost, bandwidth,
transmission speed and distance, durability and
security .
 A few years ago, the overall price of fiber cable was nearly twice that of
copper, but now the price between fiber and copper has narrowed and
fiber components and hardware have steadily decreased.
 Let’s start with the general premise that electrical power transmission
over copper is cheaper than laser power transmission over fiber –
because it has been up until this point – though this is changing fast.
Most people overlook the cost of the wiring closet in copper networks –
and they shouldn’t. Let’s not forget, a standard wiring closet includes
the costs of conditioned UPS (Uninterruptible Power Source) power,
data ground, HAVC (Hybrid Automatic Voltage Control) and floor
space.
 These integral costs generally exceed the extra
cost of fiber equipment in a centralized fiber
architecture, as well as take up significantly
more working space (which is often limited).
So, an all-fiber LAN (Local Area Network) is
really more economical and space-efficient
than a copper-based networking environment
for new construction and major renovations.
 Although copper is perfectly adequate for a voice signal, it has very limited
bandwidth – while fiber provides standardized performance up to 10 Gbps
and beyond.

 Fiber links provide over 1,000 times as much bandwidth as copper and can
travel more than 100 times further as well. A typical bandwidth-distance
product for multi-mode fiber is 500 MHz/km, so a 500 meter cable can
transmit 1 GHz. While twisted pair optimized for high data rates (Cat 6) can
transmit 500 MHz over only 100 meters. In addition, the signal loss over 500
meters in fiber is negligible, but copper has very high loss at high
frequencies.
 Fiber optic versus copper transmission can be viewed as the speed of
photons versus the speed of electrons. Photons travel at the speed of
light, whereas electrons used in copper travels at less than one
percent of the speed of light. Although fiber optic cables do not
reach the speed of light, they are only about 31% slower. So you can
see that there is a huge inherent speed difference between fiber and
copper. In addition, fiber does not have the 100 meter distance
limitation which is inherent in unshielded twisted pair copper
without a booster. Therefore, distance can range from 550 meters for
10 Gbps multi-mode and up to 40 kilometers for single-mode cable.
 Fiber optic cable is much less susceptible to various environmental
factors than copper cable. For example, copper will experience a great
deal of degradation in quality over a distance of two kilometers,
using fiber optic cable over the same distance can provide extremely
reliable data transmission. What’s more, fiber is also immune to
several environmental factors such as temperature and electro-
magnetic fluctuations – copper cannot say the same – you can deploy
fiber cable next to industrial equipment without worry. Also, like the
transatlantic cable connecting the U.S. with Europe and beyond,
fiber can be submerged in water.
 Since optical fiber does not transmit electricity, it does not
radiate signals and cannot be tapped – copper does use
electricity and is susceptible to be tapped, which can cause
the entire system to fail. A broken or damaged optical fiber
can be detected extremely quickly by using a number of
monitoring techniques including monitoring the actual
power transmission or the transmission of a pilot signal.
On the other hand, copper cable carrying a current can
short-out completely or even cause a fire if it is damaged,
old or worn without such efficient monitoring techniques.
CONCLUSION:
The advent of optical cable with its ever-reducing cost, increased
bandwidth, extremely high speed and long transmission distance,
excellent reliability and perfect security, has replaced copper in every
aspect of network transmission and reception. Fiber optic cable has
become one of the most popular mediums for both innovative cabling
installations and upgrades, including backbone, horizontal, and even
desktop applications. And with the steadily lowering cost and intrinsic
improvements made seeminly daily in fiber optic connectivity, fiber
construction will become more convenient and cost-effective. It’s only a
matter of time before fiber optics completely replaces copper cable in
both long and short-haul networking.
 Advantages of Fiber Optics Cables over Copper
Wires
 Fiber optic cables transmit data at much higher speed than copper
wires. This is because the speed of light is greater than the speed of
electrons.
 Fiber optic cables have a much larger bandwidth of over 60 Tbps in
comparison to 10 Gbps bandwidth of copper wires.
 Fiber optic cables have very low attenuation. Repeaters need to be
added only after every 50 km as compared to 5 km in copper wires.
 Fiber optic cables are not affected by electromagnetic interferences
and power fluctuations. They are minimally affected by power
failures.
 Fiber optic cables are much more secured since they
cannot be tapped easily.
 As fiber cables are made up of glass, they very less affected
by the corrosive chemicals. Hence they are much suited to
harsh factory conditions in comparison to copper wires.
 Fiber cables are thin and lightweight. A fiber cable weighs
around 4 lbs/1000 ft as compared to 39 lbs/1000 ft weight
of copper cable.
 The life cycle of fiber cables is 30-50 years, which is much
higher than copper cables.
 Disadvantages of Fiber Optics Cables over Copper
Wires
 Fiber optic cabling is a newer technology with not much
expertise. So, installation and maintenance is not as easy as
copper wires.
 Copper cables and connectors are much cheaper than fiber
optic cables and connectors. Also, copper has excellent resale
value. Since any technology is constrained to cost, need for
deployment of fiber optic cables has to be justified before
installation.
 Propagation of signals in fiber optic cables is unidirectional.
For two way communication two cables are needed.
 THANK YOU
FOR LISTENING AND
PREPARE FOR A SHORT
QUIZ !!