Future-Proofing of UTP & Optical Fiber

Written by Julianus Yu

The common networking technologies today (Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, and ATM) can all use either UTP or optical-fiber cabling, and IT professionals are faced with the choice. If you believe the hype from some cabling vendors, installing their particular cable and components will guarantee that you won’t have to ever update your cabling system again.

Today, decision-makers who must choose between Category 5e and 6 cabling components are thinking about future-proofing. Deciding whether to use optical fiber adds to the complexity. Here are some of the advantages of using optical fiber:

• It has higher potential bandwidth, which means that the data throughput is much greater than with copper cable.

• It’s not susceptible to electromagnetic interference.

• It can transmit over longer distance (although distance is set at 100 meters for horizontal cabling, regardless of media, according to ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B).

• Improved termination techniques and equipment make it easier to install and implement.

• Cable, connectors, and patch panels are now cheaper than before.

• It’s valuable in situations where EMI is especially high.

• It offers better security (because the cable cannot be easily tapped or monitored).

Though optical fiber cable has come of age, UTP cabling still reigns, and you may want to consider remaining with UTP cabling for the following reasons:

• Fiber-optic cable installation is 10 to 15 percent more expensive than an equivalent Category 5e installation.

• Networking hardware (network-interface cards and hubs) is two to three times more expensive than UTP-based hardware.

• The TIA estimates that the combined installation and hardware costs result in a finished fiber optic network that is 50 percent more expensive than a Category 5e or 6 copper cable network.

• If higher bandwidth (more than a gigabit per second) requirements are not an issue for you, you may not need optical fiber.

• Fiber optics is the medium of choice for security only if security concerns are unusually critical.

• EMI interference is only an issue if it is extreme.

When considering optical-fiber cable, remember that you are trying to guarantee that the cabling system will not have to be replaced for a very long time, regardless of future networking technologies. If you will occupy your present space for longer than five years and you want to future-proof your cabling infrastructure, optical fiber may be the right choice for your horizontal cabling. At last don’t forget to take into consideration the higher cost of networking hardware.