Fiber vs. cable: differences between the two connectivity technologies of the future
Network technologies that bring connectivity to our homes have evolved rapidly in recent years. In little more than a decade we have gone from the outdated analogue modems to later the different versions of xDSL (ADSL and VDSL) with maximum speeds of several tens of Mbps.
However, the rapid deployments in fiber optic networks and coaxial cable in multiple regions during the last few months are making it reach many of our homes (not all) connections that exceed 100 Mbps, opening the door to new types of networks. services beyond simple Internet access. What differences are there between these two technologies? Is fiber or cable better? Which one offers more possibilities?
Fiber optics: a bright future
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The pure fiber optic networks that reach into the home are completely composed of fiber optic cables, hence they are also known as Fiber To The Home (FTTH). They are a transmission medium with very good characteristics due to their high capacity when it comes to transporting data and their low attenuation, which allows links of many kilometers without problems that the signal loses power.
In addition, when transporting photons of light and not electric currents, they are immune to the electromagnetic interferences that the other technologies based on copper cables suffer from. Very good, but what exactly is an optical fiber?
It is basically a thread made of a transparent material, usually glass or plastic, by which pulses of light are sent that represent the binary data to be transmitted. The theoretical principle on which the propagation of light along the fiber is based is known as Snell's Law that explains the refraction phenomena produced by light when crossing different media with different physical properties.
The angle at which light propagates through medium "2" depends on the angle at which it propagated through medium "1" and the refractive indexes (densities) of each medium. However, this effect does not always occur, in certain circumstances the beam of light does not cross the boundary between both media, but bounces back to the first medium. This phenomenon is known as reflection and is the cause of the light being guided inside the optical fiber.
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When working at frequencies of the order of THz, the speeds that can be achieved with fiber optic networks are extremely high, well beyond the 100, 200 or 300 Mbps that operators now offer. In fact, it has not yet reached a concrete ceiling and from time to time we are surprised by announcements with new records such as the 43 Tbps that the DTU proudly showed a year and a half ago.
In addition,Observations & solutions for Cable companies
