Due to rising demand for higher bandwidth and faster speed connections, fiber optic transmission is becoming more and more common in the developing world. Optical fiber has had a great impact on the way we receive and transmit signals. They have largely replaced copper wire communications in core networks in the developed world, because of its advantages over electrical transmission. But they brought some difficulties as well.
Following are the advantages and disadvantages of optical fiber:
Advantages
They provide extremely High Bandwidth.
Optical fiber is capable of low power loss at long distances.
Optical fiber is highly resistant to electromagnetic disturbances. They are virtually error free.
The data is transferred through light that is why there is no security risk of data being detected.
Optical fiber has lesser weight and size as compared to other cables.
Disadvantages
They are made of glass that is why they are very fragile and they have to be handled carefully.
They are difficult to install. If you bend them too much, they will break. And fiber cable is highly susceptible to damage during installation or construction activities.
Extra optical components have to be added to handle dispersion of light at longer distances.
Optical fiber costs a lot more than copper cables. The installation itself is very costly.
