Fiber Optics Facts & Figures by CKC Data Solutions

Fiber optics are everywhere. This technology is in medical devices, telephone and internet lines, and colorful lights. Our experts can install fiber optics for your commercial facility. In today’s blog, CKC Data Solutions explains facts and figures about fiber optic cables.

History

The medical community in the 1950s used the first fiber optic cables. Doctors used fiber optics for endoscopes or devices used to capture images of a patient’s digestive tract.

Composition

Fiber optics are made of small tubes of glass, and they’re completely recyclable. Despite these thin fibers made of glass, fiber optics withstand all kinds of weather conditions and temperatures. Fiber optic cables are found everywhere, even underneath the ocean, connecting more than 100 countries.

Measurement

A single strand of fiber optic cable measures 125 µm, or 125 microns (micrometers). This comes out to 0.005 inch. By comparison, a human hair is about 70 microns wide.

Transmission

Fiber optics are making big news because new wireless transmission technologies require faster transmission speeds. In 2019, a fiber-optic experiment in Germany saw a transmission rate of 500 gigabits per second over a single wavelength. This translates to an overall transmission capacity of 50 terabits of information per second when you consider more than 100 channels can transmit along a single fiber strand. CKC can help you install fiber optics for your facility if you need fast, uninterrupted data transmission over long distances.

Lengths of Fiber Installed

In 2018, the amount of fiber optics installed worldwide in a single year exceeded 500 million kilometers (310.7 million miles) for the first time. This figure is per fiber instead of per cable (a cable consists of dozens or hundreds of strands of fibers).

Fiber Optic Installation by CKC Data Solutions

The experts at CKC Data Solutions will come to your facility to assess how much fiber optic cable you need to not only meet your current requirements but also future-proof your telecommunications. Contact CKC Data Solutions online or call (417) 812-5251 for more information on what our team can do for you!