Demand for fiber optics rises

More consumers are looking for fiber optic and fiber-to-the-home solutions for a variety of reasons. For some, the purpose is green efforts, for others it's cost, but the end result for utility providers is the same - increased investment into fiber to copper and related cabling solutions.

According to Empowered News, there are several specific reasons cited by consumers for fiber optics deployment.

Faster internet
Improved bandwidth is a key reason many consider investing in FTTH, but it's the internet providers that have to make the main investments here. Bringing high-speed fiber-based Ethernet into the home requires more than fiber optic cabling and a router. Firms have to invest in high-quality fiber to Ethernet converter solutions to maximize their returns and ensure that consumers get the quality of service they expect. Fiber offer 400MHz/km service, as opposed to traditional cable broadband, which only supports 10MHz/km, meaning there's an opportunity for significant speed upgrades above and beyond previous high-speed internet deployments.

Improved installation
Being smaller in diameter than other cabling options, consumers look at fiber as a more efficient and effect delivery solution for power and data. Fiber is more flexible and is immune to electromagnetic interference, making it an ideal choice for optimizing home cabling infrastructure and city smart grids.

Cost declines
Fiber deployment may have a higher initial cost in some cases, but this price is falling and maintenance-over-time costs have dropped as well, allowing providers to save money and pass that savings along to consumers. Many consumers feel this has several benefits, including reinforcing green operations and efficiency.

Secure data transfers
Fiber is also considered a more secure option because information is transmitted via light, rather than an interceptable signal. This improved security for large-scale deployments for businesses and the like, while helping cities and utility providers enhance their smart grids significantly. In addition to eliminating extraneous signals, fiber is significantly harder to "tap," and easier to detect as the network would fail due to such an occurrence.

With a myriad of benefits associated with fiber, it's no wonder consumers are looking for increased use of it. Firms need to ensure they are investing in the right supporting technology, like media converters, as well, in order to enhance the stability of such networks and meet demand head on.

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.