There has been a fundamental shift in how information is carried through the internet in recent years. This trend has been largely driven by the deployment of fiber-optic technology. Fiber optic connections use optical technologies to transmit data over a network (Mynbaev and Lowell). The fiber optic is made up of optical fibers, which are incredibly thin strands of glass or plastic. Information is passed through these cables in the form of a series of light pulses. As the light pulses bounce on and off the walls of these strands, information is transmitted through them, then converted into an electrical signal at the recipient's side.
Fiber optic technology competes with wireless communication in the field of information transportation. Wireless communication on the internet or any other network relies on the microwave radio spectrum to transport information from one point to another (Pahlavan). In fixed wireless communication, information is beamed from one central location and is received by a dish at the other end. Fixed wireless technology offers various upsides as compared to fiber-optic technology, but fiber optic communication also has some advantages over fixed wireless technology. An entity (business, individual or homestead) intending to connect to the internet, thus, has to choose between the two technologies which one is most suitable for their needs. This paper gives a comparison between these two data transportation technologies, an analysis which might aid such an entity in deciding on which technology to adopt.
Speed
Fiber optic technology depends on light to transmit data. Information that is transported over this technology, however, does not travel at the speed of light. The difference between the speed of light and the speed of the data that is transported by light over the fiber optic can be accounted for by the path through which the light takes, as well as the fact that it is travelling through a solid medium. In fact, fixed wireless data transmission can be up to 50% faster than information transported via fiber optic (Wang et al 520). The advantage of speed that is possessed by wireless communication, however, is overshadowed by bandwidth, as discussed below.
Bandwidth
Differences in bandwidth are top of the list when comparing wireless communication to fiber optic. Even though fixed wireless communication may sometimes be faster than fiber optic communication, fiber optic cables offer the advantage of increased bandwidth (Hecht). Theoretically, there is no limit to the bandwidth of a fiber optic connection. Fiber optic connections allow for a dedicated path between two points and for this reason the bandwidth performance of a fiber optic connection can only be limited by the capabilities of the equipment at either end (Dessoff 14). Wireless communication, on the other hand, does not provide a dedicated physical data path. Wireless communication depends on a point to multipoint connection, which is a merit in one aspect, but the bandwidth of wireless communication is restrained by a number of factors.
Some of the factors that lead to a reduction in the bandwidth of wireless transmissions include the number of spectra possible, the frequency of transmission, and the modulation scheme (Xu et al 5110). Normally for wireless transmissions to be effective in the presence of physical obstacles like buildings and trees, the frequency has to be as low as possible. Reducing the frequency of transmission, however, reduces the data carrying capacity of the signal, thus reducing the bandwidth. A trade-off has to be done, therefore, between the data carrying capacity of a wireless signal and the quality of the signal, determined by the frequency. These drawbacks to wireless technology mean that the bandwidth being delivered by this technology are orders of magnitudes below what can be achieved by fiber-optic connections. Whereas most spectra of wireless communications can deliver multiple megabytes per second, the most advanced fiber optic technology is delivering multiple gigabytes per second.
Installation Costs
The initial installation costs of the two technologies have a huge role to play in the determination of what technology to adopt. Whereas fiber optic installation requires the preparation of a physical continuous path on the actual terrain between the two communication points, wireless communication requires the installation of equipment only at the two end points of communication. Furthermore, fiber optic technology requires labour intensive trenching, the actual laying of the fiber optic, and the installation of the equipment required for the conversion of electrical signals to optical signals and vice versa. The installation of fiber optic in rural areas is particularly challenging due to treacherous terrains, but these terrains would not imply any problems for wireless communication as long as the transmission and receiver points have a clear line of site between each other and no considerable attenuation is experienced. Therefore, the initial installation costs of fiber optic technology are higher compared to wireless technology installation.
Operation and Maintenance Costs
Both wireless and fiber optic communications encounter additional costs even after the initial installation has been done. Fiber optic communications may require the provider to pay right of way fees for having to pass their cables through particular areas. On the other hand, wireless communication operation costs may come in terms of having to hire out rental spaces on elevated structures for the installation of transmission and receiver equipment. In case that a tower has to be constructed, rental fees may be incurred towards the piece of land on which the tower is constructed.
The cost of maintaining a fiber optic connection between two points by far exceeds that of maintaining the communication between two wireless communication points. Moreover, fiber optic connections are prone to more damages than wireless connections due to their overreliance on physical communication infrastructure. The damaging of a fiber optic cable would mean the actual location of the point of damage which may be costly (Griffith 254). On the flip side, wireless technologies rely on very little physical infrastructure and thus does not run as many risks as fiber optic cable connections. Therefore, just like the initial installation costs for fiber optic cable communications are higher than those of wireless communications, the operational and maintenance costs are also costly.
Build Out Strategies and Scalability
The planning and architectural considerations for fiber optic are considerably different to those of wireless communication technologies. When designing a fiber optic network, it is critical to consider any future requirements in terms of additional connections to the network (DeCusatis). For this reason, connection points need to be included in the network for points which might need the fiber optic connection in the future, even if they are not initially connected. Fiber optic thus presents the challenge of an inability to ‘drop’ into the network at any point within the network.
For a wireless network, in case there is any need for the addition of another access point, maybe due to an increase in requirements, another access point can be added at any point within the network (Liang Chengchao and Richard 370). Therefore, for a fiber optic network to be constructed, the demand for the network must be justified before the set up starts. A wireless network, on the contrary, can be built incrementally.
Scalability in terms of the addition of bandwidth should also be considered when deciding on what data transportation method to apply. As indicated above under bandwidth, the limitation as regards to fiber optic cables is the equipment at either end. The bandwidth of a fiber optic connection can thus be increased simply by upgrading the equipment at either end of the network. Similarly, wireless technology bandwidth can be altered by changing the frequency, modulation, and spectra required for transmission. This can be achieved in the same way as in optical data transmission, by changing the equipment at the end points.
Interference
Communication between two points within a network is often prone to interference arising from already existing environmental conditions. Wireless communication, in particular, experiences a lot of interference due to spectrum overcrowding. As the number of providers and subscribers increase within a wireless network, the network is prone to overcrowding and thus interference. Fiber optic technology, on the other hand, does not experience any interference since the connection establishes a direct point to point communication.
Furthermore, wireless technology is highly influenced by physical barriers on its path, such as vegetation and buildings (Parikh Palak Mitalkumar and Tarlochan). Attenuation, the term used to identify the loss of signal strength, often occurs in case there is no direct line of sight between the communication end points.
Supported Applications
The choice on whether to adopt a wireless network or a fiber optic network highly depends on the kind of application that the business needs the network to support. The non-infinite bandwidth provided by wireless technology, therefore, might not be sufficient to support a backbone network. Wireless networks support almost all residential use and a few business applications. Thus, a wireless network can be used to support services such as web search, instant messaging, email, and ecommerce. Due to the inability of wireless networks to transmit information efficiently over long distances and the limitations in bandwidth, it is not recommended as the backbone network for an entire region.
The infinite bandwidth that can be supported by fiber optic technologies makes it the ideal data transportation mechanism to be used on a backbone network (Hecht). Indeed, fiber optic cables can be used for all telecommunication needs, both residential and business. It is also ideal for long distance data transmissions.
Conclusion
The advantages that have been brought about by the internet would not have been experienced without a means of transporting data from one device to the other. Such data transportation methods include the use of fiber optical technology or the use of radio signals transmitted wirelessly. Each of these methods offer their merits and demerits, and for this reason, a careful comparison needs to be done between the two technologies to determine which is best for the application in question. This paper compared the two data transportation methods in terms of speed, bandwidth, installation, operation and maintenance costs, build out strategies and scalabilities, and supported applications.
Theoretically, each of these data transportation mechanisms offers some upsides compared to the other mechanism. However, in reality, it’s a combination of both transportation mechanisms that works best. With the backbone network set on fiber optic, auxiliary networks can run on wireless networks. Furthermore, fiber optic connections to rural areas may not be economically justifiable. For this reason, wireless networks can be launched in these areas to enable the access to the internet at lower costs.
Works Cited
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