Advantages of Fiber Optic Communication
Feb 23, 2023| Advantages of Fiber Optic Communication
The reason why optical fiber communication has received great attention is that it has unparalleled advantages compared with other means of communication.
1. Large communication capacity
Theoretically speaking, an optical fiber the thickness of a human hair can transmit 100 billion voice channels at the same time. Although it is far from reaching such a high transmission capacity at present, the experiment of simultaneously transmitting 240,000 voice channels with one optical fiber has been successful, which is dozens or even thousands higher than traditional open wires, coaxial cables, microwaves, etc. more than double. The transmission capacity of an optical fiber is so huge, and an optical cable can include dozens or even thousands of optical fibers. If one optical fiber is used as several or dozens of optical fibers with wavelength division multiplexing technology, its The large communication capacity is even more astonishing.
2. Long relay distance
Due to the extremely low attenuation coefficient of optical fiber (currently commercialized silica optical fiber has reached below 0.19dB/km), if it is equipped with appropriate optical sending and optical receiving equipment, the relay distance can reach hundreds of kilometers. This is beyond comparison with traditional cables (1.5km) and microwaves (50km). Therefore, optical fiber communication is especially suitable for long-distance primary and secondary trunk communication. According to reports, the experiment of using one optical fiber to transmit 240,000 voice channels at the same time and 100 kilometers without relay has been successful. In addition, the ongoing optical soliton communication test has reached the level of transmitting 1.2 million voice channels and 6,000 kilometers without repeaters. Therefore, it is entirely possible to realize global fiber-optic communication without relays in the near future.
3. Good confidentiality performance
When the light wave is transmitted in the optical fiber, it is only carried out in its core area, and basically no light "leaks" out, so its confidentiality performance is excellent.
4. Strong adaptability
Strong adaptability means that it is not afraid of interference from strong external electromagnetic fields, corrosion resistance, and strong flexibility (its performance will not be affected when the bending radius is greater than 25 cm), etc.
5. Small size, light weight, easy construction and maintenance
The laying method of the optical cable is convenient and flexible. It can be directly buried, pipeline laid, underwater or overhead.
6. Abundant sources of raw materials and potentially low prices