Single Mode Fibre Optic Cable Types

Fiber optic cable types multimode and single mode.

Single mode fibre optic cable types.

Fiber optic connectors and cables are present in nearly every communications project that we might sell into be it a das installation or a base station with wireless backhaul you can be certain that fiber jumpers and cabling are being used somewhere in that network. Single mode fiber optic cable has a small diametral core that allows only one mode of light to propagate. With the increasing demand for greater capacity over long distance transmission single mode fiber optic cable is designed with various versions. Multimode fiber cable is prefixed with om and single mode fiber cable is prefixed with os.

Multi mode fiber has a fairly large core diameter that enables multiple light modes to be propagated and limits the maximum length of a transmission link because of modal dispersion. Multi mode optical fiber is a type of optical fiber mostly used for communication over short distances such as within a building or on a campus. There are 6 different categories of smfs. A typical single mode optical fiber has a core diameter between 8 and 10 5 µm and a cladding diameter of 125 µm.

In iso iec 11801 and eia tia standards four types of multimode om1 om2 om3 om4 and two types of single. In the case of multi mode and single mode cables the glass used to make them is very pure as the refractive properties have to be high standard in order to conduct a data signal in this case made of light through a network. Itu standards the itu has defined a series of recommendations that describe the geometrical properties and transmissive properties of multimode and single mode fiber optic cables. G652 g653 g654 g655 g656 and g657 among which g652 and g655 are two options frequently used in wdm.

Because of this the number of light reflections created as the light passes through the core decreases lowering attenuation and creating the ability for the signal to travel further. Multi mode links can be used for data rates up to 100 gbit s. Fiber optic cables used in telecommunication are broadly categorized in two types multimode fiber and single mode fiber cables. While multimode means the fiber can propagate multiple modes.

The differences between single mode and multimode fiber mainly lies in fiber core diameter wavelength light source bandwidth color sheath distance and cost. The different types of fiber optic cable vary in consistency and size but most are thinner than a human hair. Single mode means the fiber enables one type of light mode to be propagated at a time.