Fiber Optics Broadband Connection

Fiber connections are a type of broadband connection that uses optical fiber cables for connection. Fiber cables run till end of user’s requirement from where copper wires carry wire connection further.

Demarcation point of fiber optics broadband is Optical Network Terminator, which converts data from protocols fiber connections can understand, unlike the twisted pair copper cables.

FTTX : Fiber to the X :
FTTX is a general term used for the architecture of the fiber optics broadband connections used. The main categories which represent FTTX are :

• FTTN represents fiber to the node or fiber to the neighborhood. Fiber reaches to a single physical cabinet (street cabinet) that serves many clients.
• FTTB represents fiber to the building/ business/ basement. Fiber cable reaches to the individual building.
• FTTH represents fiber to the home. Fiber goes to every apartment. FTTB and FTTH refer to as Fiber to the Premises (FTTP).

Applications :

• High speed for streaming videos, playing games and having online conferences.
• We can connect multiple devices to fiber optics broadband.
• We get unlimited data.
• It provides a reliable connection, irrespective of weather conditions, and electrical interference.
• Latency decreases with fiber optics broadband.

Advantages :

• Fiber optics broadband supports higher bandwidth and speed that ensures faster cloud access.
• Fiber optics offer symmetrical upload and download speed.
• Loss of signal in optical fiber cable is less than that of copper wire.
• Optical fiber cables are lightweight and have a smaller size than copper wires.
• Since copper wires carry electromagnetic waves or electric current, it has chances of interference. But, optical fiber cable carries light, hence it can’t have any interference.
• Since data is often leaked from copper cable by “listening in” to electromagnetic energy leak through wire. Hence, it is not possible to breach information from optical fiber cables. Therefore, it has higher security.

Disadvantages :

• Fiber optic cables are very fragile and can be damaged easily, so installation and maintenance of fiber optics broadband are difficult.
• It is expensive rather than other types of broadband connections.
• After some distance, light gets attenuated and dispersed. So, EDFA or repeaters are required.
• Special equipment such as OTDR (optical time-domain reflectometry) is required to ensure quality of fiber optic transmission, which is very expensive.
• Optical fibers cannot work with mobile communication because it can only work on ground.