Copper's demise still a ways off

Increased investments into fiber-optic cabling and other new technologies have some enterprises discussing the demise of copper networks. However, many companies are still relying heavily on their copper infrastructure, and some industries find it essential to their operations.

According to Technology Spectator, the shifting stances from fiber to copper and vice versa were recently discussed at length at the Broadband World Forum 2013 in Amsterdam. More companies are driving increased speed from their copper networks, while others are turning to fiber media converters to integrate their varying cabling infrastructures closely. The proper technology and approach to these solutions will help firms adapt to any reliance on copper while still taking advantage of high-quality fiber-optic networking.

One of the largest industries affected by this news is the cable market. With fiber-to-the-home efforts growing, companies have to carefully consider the viability of copper in their networks and the related changes necessary to deploy FTTH.

The push toward fiber as an alternative to copper for the majority of broadband network infrastructure is particularly strong due to the high-speed internet access that consumers are coming to expect from their service providers. Investing in the right fiber to Ethernet converters and related hardware will ensure that consumers can take full advantage of these increased speeds in their homes, while optimizing service across a boarder area with minimal latency, noise and cost.

Of course, copper still plays a role in the home and in the workplace, which makes fiber to copper converters so important for providers to invest in. Even as the expectations of FTTH deployments grow, firms have to adapt to what consumers expect from their home networks as well. The right solutions will drive progress without reducing customer service or appreciation. Consumers that see their provider going above and beyond basic service expectations to ensure high-speed access will remember those efforts down the road.

Copper may still have an important place in broadband service, but fiber-optic cabling is the wave of the future, and providers that adapt and prepare for the changing trends will be able to provide higher-quality service sooner, rather than later, while optimizing the value per price for clients.

Perle has an extensive range of Managed and Unmanaged Fiber Media Converters to extended copper-based Ethernet equipment over a fiber optic link, multimode to multimode and multimode to single mode fiber up to 160km.