Business Benefits of Fiber Optic Network Connectivity

As businesses expand globally to gain access to newer and better prospects, resources, and customers, the need to optimally utilize technological advancements has increased tremendously. Networking and telecommunications can play a huge role in this regard. High-speed internet connectivity and seamless communication over long distances are the needs of today’s businesses as they are the driving force for growth and productivity. Most businesses still use copper-grade legacy networks, which are not sufficient for long-distance transmission, sending large files, live video streaming, online conferencing, and more. In addition, they also have issues with signal strength and speed. For example, even if you use Cat6 cables for long-distance transmission, the speed may slow down or the signal may weaken over time. This is where fiber optics are attractive because all these disadvantages can be eliminated. Fiber optics offer high speeds. Long-distance transmission can reach up to 100 kilometers or more without problems such as signal attenuation, electromagnetic interference, and even hacking.

This article mainly discusses the contribution of optical fiber in promoting business development through fast data transmission, seamless connectivity, etc.

What is fiber optics and why is it so important?

In a typical traditional network, data is transmitted in the form of electrical signals through UTP copper cables or Ethernet cables (mainly Cat5e or Cat6) with routers or switches, computers, and other devices on the network (such as phones, cameras, etc.). These signals are converted into analog signals at the receiving end. During the transmission process, the signal may weaken or the data transmission may be delayed due to noise and crosstalk. Moreover, the transmission distance here can only increase by a few meters at most, and there may also be data security issues. Fiber optics, on the other hand, eliminates all these problems. It transmits signals in the form of light pulses, which are converted into analog signals at the receiving end. This eliminates the problems of EMI, crosstalk, etc. Moreover, fiber optics are difficult to hack and are therefore more secure. But the best part is that you can mix fiber optics with the existing traditional network. This helps increase the transmission distance, speed, connectivity, and security of the existing network within a limited budget.

The demand for optical fibers in business applications is increasing. They are used in local area network applications as well as remote applications such as video conferencing. Want to know how to enhance your video conferencing experience with optical fiber? Read on.

How can fiber optics help improve the video conferencing experience?

In 2020, video communication has become an integral part of our daily lives. From casual video calls to business video conferences to e-learning to e-health, everything depends on video conferencing. With strict restrictions on human activities, video conferencing has become an important communication medium. It is the most efficient option. Imagine what happens when you encounter problems during a video conference? It will definitely affect end users, such as students taking online courses and businesses meeting clients. Here are some challenges that you may encounter during a video conference.

• Insufficient bandwidth: Video signals occupy a large portion of bandwidth. Due to the large size of video data packets, insufficient bandwidth often occurs when multiple video devices are connected to the network or the video transmission distance exceeds the limit.
• Packet loss: IP video transmissions often suffer from packet loss due to the type of cellular data transmission. Lost packets can cause buffering and poor video display quality.

The fiber optic products discussed below have been shown to overcome the aforementioned challenges and help enhance the video conferencing experience.

• Fiber-based video solutions: Fiber-optic cables offer relatively high bandwidth and minimal attenuation. Therefore, utilizing fiber-optic video solutions ensures high-speed, unbuffered video signal transmission without packet loss. Fiber-optic modems can be installed to trigger transmission speeds after a certain distance to obtain long-distance video transmission. Today, we can find fiber-optic video components that include fiber-optic cables, transmitters, receivers, and media converters.
• Media Converters: Fiber optic media converters can be used to transmit video signals from analog devices. Analog video signals are in electronic form. The media converter converts the signal to an optical format for data transmission over fiber optic cables.
• Managed switches: These switches can be used in video networks to enable live streaming or real-time video conferencing priorities. By using managed switches, operators will gain full control over video configuration and video signal transmission. This helps improve video and audio quality during real-time video communications.

Video conferencing is just one application of fiber optics that businesses are using in a variety of ways.

More growth drives business applications of optical fiber

Over the past few years, optical fiber has helped drive business growth and create opportunities in various ways. Its high speed and connectivity has revolutionized several fields such as medicine, defense, electronics and telecommunications, supply chain management, heavy engineering, etc. Here are some tips that can prove its usefulness and importance.

• Fiber optics has been successfully used in medicine to develop laparoscopes. The device enhances diagnostic capabilities and makes surgical procedures less invasive. Today, it is being effectively used in telemedicine, which features online consultations and treatments with doctors in distant locations.
• Remote access to the Internet and office computers facilitates working from home, which is becoming increasingly popular. Thanks to fiber optics, it is possible to access remote networks through VPN and maintain consistent speed and signal strength.
• Supply chain management is a very dynamic segment and fiber optics helps it to evolve faster. This includes a strong navigation and tracking system, supplier tracking, product availability and online payments. Using effective sales and distribution and CRM software, a lot of data analysis can be done.
• Fiber optics has been successfully used in the defense sector’s networks as it can withstand the harsh environment of the sector such as extreme temperatures, lightning, etc. and provide the required security. Fiber optic guided missiles and weapon systems are used. Fiber optics and sensors have been effectively used in their surveillance systems. Fiber optic gyroscopes are used in navigation systems and sensing devices in avionics.

Tapping untapped potential is one of the drivers of business growth, which may mean exploring new market segments, making new products, etc. These areas require strong and seamless connectivity as there is a need to understand new markets or promote new products globally. This emphasizes the importance of fiber as an indirect driver of business growth. If you want to expand your network, choosing a hybrid network may help as it is able to retain the old network and connect it with fiber. If you want to purchase network equipment, you can start from the player.