For many years, fiber optics has been considered one of the central areas of development in the field of communication technologies. Specialists initially had high hopes for this concept, which to this day are only confirmed by periodic successes in laying communication networks of various sizes. In particular, fiber-optic communication has already demonstrated its effectiveness using the example of Pacific communication lines, and in the future it is planned to use this basis in laser and sensor systems.
What is fiber optic?
Communication based on fiber optic networks is formed on the principle of electromagnetic radiation, due to which a signal is transmitted. Optical fibers are the physical carrier, characterized by resistance to interference and high bandwidth. So what is a fiber and what does it have to do with data transfer? This fiber is made of glass with some additives, thanks to which the manufacturer can vary individual optical characteristics. At a minimum, a polymer coating is required to protect the fiber from external damage. Actually, this fiber is also heterogeneous in its structure. It consists of a core with a diameter of about 8-10 microns, as well as the surrounding shell, forming a cylinder with a thickness of about 100-125 microns. The principle of operation of the fiber-optic communication channel is the ability of the fiber to provide internal reflection of electromagnetic waves with certain refractive indices. A conventional light beam in the process of movement inside the optical fiber is reflected from the shell from the inside, without leaving the circuit. Thus, a signal is delivered with different loss values.
Fiber optic network performance
The main positive aspects of the operation of fiber optic lines are associated with a high speed of information delivery. Until recently, this value was expressed as a record indicator of 1 Terabits per second. However, even now these data are considered irrelevant in terms of record indicators. Thus, new technologies of wave multiplexing systems have allowed optical fibers to provide a signal servicing speed of 15 Tbps. Large telecommunications corporations practice the use of multi-channel fiber-optic communication over distances of up to 10,000 km with support for speeds of 100 Gbit / s. By the way, one route can contain up to 150-200 channels, which is caused by the small diameter of the fibers. One trunk line without an external protective sheath has a thickness of not more than 1 cm. As for the attenuation value, which affects not only the speed but also the overall signal transmission quality, this figure in the case of optical fiber is 5 dB / km. This is an extremely good indicator compared to traditional electric networks, which makes it possible to lay lines for 100 km or more without intermediate signal conversion points.
Technology advantages
Along with high data transmission speed and low attenuation effect, the following are among the advantages of optical fiber:
- Longevity of operation of lines.
- Technological reliability.
- Immunity from external electromagnetic influences.
- High level of signal coding, virtually eliminating the possibility of data interception.
- Broadband
- Light weight and modest size.
How much of the above advantages will be revealed in a particular fiber-optic communication line depends on the methods of its laying and the quality of the material. For example, one of the most important obstacles to the mass transition to this method of organizing communications in Russia is the low level of specialists in this area and the poor quality of consumables.
Cons of technology
There are also characteristic disadvantages of fiber optic networks, which can occur even regardless of the quality of technical implementation of communication channels. Among them are noted:
- High price. Both at the stage of organizing the technical infrastructure and in the process of its maintenance, the costs so far exceed the costs of installing and operating more familiar communication lines.
- The fragility of the structure. One of the most sensitive drawbacks of optical fiber is the limitations in their laying. To ensure the long-term operation of high-level fiber-optic communications is possible only with direct laying of lines. However, this problem is gradually being solved precisely by introducing special additives into the structure of the fiber core.
- High requirements for telecommunication infrastructure. Again, you can count on high performance when using fiber optic lines only if the system is organized on modern network equipment.
The use of fiber optic communications in Russia
As in other countries with advanced technological development, in Russia, optical fiber primarily finds its place in the telecommunications industry. However, this is not the only area mastering this technology. Optical fibers are used in measuring equipment, in x-ray devices (including MRI), gyroscopes and security and alarm systems. At the same time, technical integration techniques are often of a similar nature, which is also confirmed by the range of required workers for organizing such systems. In particular, vacancies for fiber-optic communications include places for welding specialists, installers and designers of engineering systems. The same applies to the maintenance of fiber-optic infrastructure.
The problems of the implementation of fiber optic communication
A number of large Russian providers working in the field of telecommunication support are experiencing financial difficulties with the transition to new technologies for organizing network support. This is partly due to the high costs of technical upgrades of networks with the complete replacement of both signal carriers and operational equipment. The metropolitan company MGTS considers fiber-optic communications as one of the key areas of development today, but at the same time, its representatives note difficulties associated with the reluctance of subscribers themselves to switch to new technological means. Many users are satisfied with the traditional copper conductor network, which provides sufficient consumer data transfer characteristics. They do not want to overpay for innovations, which forces the operator to bear the costs of servicing two types of telecommunication networks.
Prospects for the development of fiber optic communications
If the mass consumption market is still restrained towards the evolutionary process of switching to fiber, then the advanced world corporations are already looking into the future, which are opened by fiber-optic communication technologies in various fields. Currently, the most promising areas are distributed sensor systems and fiber optical lasers. The first technology will allow non-destructive testing of building and engineering structures with a wide range of analysis output data - in particular, with accurate indicators of temperature, pressure and deformation processes of the object. As for fiber optic lasers, their properties and the characteristics of the emitted wave can provide unprecedented opportunities in the physical processing of solid-state materials.
Conclusion
Communication on the basis of fiber-optic technology with all the negative factors of application expands the range of its coverage. To a large extent, this was facilitated by the technological format of the GPON network, which is an optimized concept of fiber-optic trunk lines. Rostelecom, as one of the largest telecommunications companies in Russia, has taken a big step in the technological development of this format. Today, it carries out laying of lines without intermediate amplification nodes at distances from 20 to 60 km with support for speeds of up to 1.25 Gb / s. And this is just one of the possible formats for using optical fiber in the telecommunications industry today.