The Importance of Fiber for the Future

Over the years, fiber has become faster, easier to install, and more reliable than the traditional copper cable. Now, more than ever, growing technology relies on quick, highly reliable internet connections. Instead of being a nice-to-have, fiber is becoming an essential part of our lives. Not only is it vital for the work-from-home employee, but it's crucial in the fields of healthcare, education, and the up and coming 5G network.

One of the great benefits of fiber optic networks is that they can provide over a gigabit per second download and upload speeds. Traditional copper-based networks typically have higher download speeds but slower upload speeds resulting in a slower overall connection. Fiber is unique in its ability to provide identical upload and download speeds, known as symmetrical service. The ability to provide symmetrical service makes it ideal for homes or offices where multiple users are connected simultaneously. Which describes nearly every home and office in the country.

Fiber's technology has proven sustainable and “future proof.” It's been around since the 1980s, and constant improvements have increased bandwidth, speed, and reliability without deploying new networks (According to the Fiber Broadband Association). Whereas copper, for example, has had six upgrades since the 1990s. These changes are costly because multiple cables need to be installed for phone and video.

Cedar Falls Utilities, an Eastern Iowa service provider who completed their fiber-optic network in 1996, recently introduced 10-gigabit service across their entire network. According to PC Magazine, their fiber optic network provides the fastest internet in the country, blowing away even its closest competitor.

The Internet of Things

With the growth of the Internet of Things, the amount of bandwidth the average person needs is constantly growing. Often referred to as smart home technology, the Internet of Things may also be referred to as IoT and encompasses many home and business technologies. According to Statista in a 2020 survey, the average U.S. household has access to ten connected devices. This means that the average family requires more bandwidth to be able to use these devices effectively. For more information on common household items connected to the Internet Things, take a look at this blog post.

The Internet of Things powers our daily lives, from asking Siri or Google for directions to using our smartwatches to track our morning runs. Not only does the Internet of Things power the more “plain sight” devices, it also pertains to things like smart toasters and even smart dog collars. The future of IoT is almost limitless, with artificial intelligence consistently making strides. Faster, flexible, symmetrical internet service is a necessity to get an autonomous future up and running.

The Emergence of 5G

5G is the powerhouse of the future for the Internet of Things – with gigabit speeds, low latency, and its ability to connect one million devices for every square kilometer (0.386 square miles). For 5G to be successful, a vast amount of fiber is needed because copper doesn't have enough bandwidth to handle the high demand for speed and reliability.

While 5G is mostly described with mobile and wireless devices, fiber optics are the backbone of 5G, with cables running in data centers and transmission lines to transmit data digitally. While traditionally 2G and 3G networks use copper-based circuits, the emergence of 4G started to show its age with limited bandwidth.

With the uncertainty of the future and the competitive market for working augmented reality, autonomous vehicles, and more - the race for fiber-optic networks and 5G to make the world more connected and advanced than ever before is on.

Future Proof

Fiber optic cables are unique in that the data fiber optics carry can grow and change to meet the needs of new technology and better bandwidth. In fact, fiber optic cables aren't even at their full capacity. The same fiber optic cable that supported 100 megabits per second can support speeds of 10 gigabits per second and beyond with hardware updates made by the ISP provider. Cedar Falls Utilities continues to rely on their late 90s fiber-optic network making hardware changes and pushing their speeds to the fastest in the country.

Unlike conventional copper-based networks, fiber relies on light instead of electrical currents. Fiber is built to allow light to travel through either glass or plastic; this unique design makes it less susceptible to damage, more secure, and highly reliable.

Fiber optic networks are being built across the country every day. Millions of miles already connect our neighbor's homes and businesses to an increasingly connected world. However, many communities are lagging behind in speed and reliability with outdated networks. Fiber-optic networks are the future of connectivity for communities both big and small.