‘Fibre optic broadband’ is a term we are all familiar with and many of us may already have it installed in our homes and workplaces. We probably know that it is faster than other subscriber lines and that it carries information coded in light via a thin cable made of high-quality glass. However, not everyone is aware of all the advantages of fibre optics so here are five amazing facts to get you started…

  1. Fibre optics have a much greater bandwidth.

Installing fibre optic cables can drastically improve the speed of your data transfer rate i.e. your bandwidth. Unlike fibre, copper and TDM technology is restricted in what it can do as its primary purpose and original design was for the transmission of voice calls.

  1. You won’t suffer burns from handling fibre optics.

Unlike most wiring in our homes and work spaces, fibre optics do not conduct electricity. Instead, they transmit currents using light. Light passes through the cable in the same way it would if you were to shine a torch down a narrow shaft. Cladding within the pipe ensures that the beam remains flexible and can travel around bends without any light being absorbed from the core. This is what physicists refer to as the principle of total reflection. Adopting this technique rather than electromagnetic inference (EMI) prevents the risk of contact burns or, worse still, fire.

  1. Fibre optics aren’t affected by changes in the weather.

Again, because they carry light rather than electricity, weather doesn’t impact on their ability to perform. Changes in temperature, unprecedented rainfall or thunder and lightning storms do not affect the light signals being transmitted in the same way it does in ADSL or other traditional cable lines.

  1. Fibre optics are environmentally advantageous.

It is widely agreed that fibre optics are more energy efficient and sustainable than traditional cabling. Metal wiring has a restricted lifecycle because of its limited tolerance to electromagnetic currents. Over time the cabling deteriorates until the point at which it needs to be replaced. On the other hand, the lifecycle of fibre optics is infinite and upgrades to the optics can be performed and implemented without ever having to modify the cable.

  1. They are more secure.

Fibre optics do not radiate electromagnetic energy and therefore any information being transferred cannot be easily interfered with. The only way for hackers to glean digital data would be to cut into the fibre cabling meaning that fibre optics is one of, if not the, safest ways to send sensitive information online.

Blue Clarity works closely with tier one telecommunications and internet providers to deliver fibre optic broadband. If you would like to find out more, Contact Us or call 028 4372 3162.