What Fibre Optic Cable Do I need?

August 31, 2021
August 31, 2021 Blog Team

Why Micron Fibre Optic Cabling installation is the Premium Choice?

Over the past five years, as the incumbent communication and electrical contractors for Tower 1 Barangaroo, Micron Group has been responsible for the installation of all tenant fibre optic communications cabling connecting the building’s tenants to their respective telco service providers and the internet at high speed.

Depending on which level the tenant is located, installations can take up to 8 hours for a team of five technicians and electricians as the cables are carefully and methodically installed thorough the building data communications risers alongside existing data services. Fibre optic cable is secured to cable support structures called cable tray (galvanized metal perforated steel cable support structures) using nylon cable ties. For ease of identification specialized fibre optic cables are labelled vertically every meter, every three meters along horizontal paths through plant rooms and car park areas until Micron Group fibre installers reach the precinct node room. The precinct data communications node room is where the telco providers such as AAPT, TPG, Telstra, and Optus house their service equipment which connects to the outside communications network, or internet.

How is Fibre Optic Cable Constructed?

The Fibre optic cabling is constructed of extremely thin strands of glass silica (approximately the diameter of a human hair) which are protected by a sheath coating and then wrapped in a durable outer casing/jacket to protect the internal cores from damage and external elements. The fibre optic cables also have strengthening fibres inside them, typically made of Kevlar to protect the inner cores from crushing and stretching forces.

The glass core construction allows for vast amounts of data to be transmitted at very high speeds over long distances. This is achieved by converting digital data output by computers into light signals which are then transmitted through the fine glass cores at up to 70% of the speed of light depending on the type or “mode” of fibre cable.

Single Mode Or Multi Mode Fibre Optic Cable?
Advantages And Disadvantages.

The two main types of fibre optic cable are single mode and multi-mode, and each type comes in varying grades and specifications, depending on its application and the distance the cable will travel. Grades of multi-mode cable (Optical Multimode) are categorized in OM1, OM2, OM3 and OM4. The diameter of the cores inside a multi-mode cable are larger than that of a single mode cable (50 micrometres (µm) or above), a larger core means multiple modes (or rays of light) can travel down the core simultaneously. The downside to this is that the length of a multi-mode cable is limited typically to around 1km whereas for longer distances up to 200km, single mode cable is used (9 micrometres (µm) in diameter). Single mode and multi-mode are not interchangeable and as the cores are significantly thinner for single mode cable, it’s more difficult to manufacture and therefore more expensive to the user.

How Are Fibre Optic Cables Terminated And Connected?

At each end of the fibre optic cable Micron Group technicians terminate the class silica cores so that the light data can be captured and translated by networking equipment, specialist fusion splicing techniques are used to make the glass ends into specific types of fibre connectors. The highly precise tools and equipment used can cut the glass strands to a very fine tolerance and then by using fusion spicing, (the technical term used to terminate fibre optic cable) join the glass ends to either pre-terminated tails or into a specified connector. Additionally, to connect the terminated cable ends to networking equipment, specific network devices called transceivers are required. As with everything network, cost needs to be considered, as single mode transceivers are considerably more expensive than multi-mode transceivers.

To Summarize, Does Your Fibre Cable Go The Distance?

Single mode cable has a smaller core diameter than multimode and is suitable for long distance installations. Single mode installations are generally more expensive. Multi-mode fiber has a larger core diameter and is suitable for runs less than 1km and ideally less than 400m. The grade or OM number of the cable affects the distance and bandwidth capabilities.

Micron Group and Your Fibre Optic Cable Installation

If you require a new fibre to be installed to your building or tenancy our specialized team of technicians and friendly office staff will be able to consult, design, and install a fibre optic network solution to ensure you have a fast and reliable connection, guaranteed and warranted. See a real life case study of  fibre optic data cabling installation.

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