Fiber optic and wireless are both used for connectivity, but they are often used in different situations depending on the requirements of the network and the environment. In the world of network connectivity media as of 2023, the simple winner is optical fibre, but when we consider the practical side of implementation, usage, and cases, we must take in consideration all the media types available at our disposal.
Optical fibre or also called fibre optic uses light signals passing through a transparent glass/polymer/plastic media cladded in layers of protective shields. The resulting cable can transmit data far greater than any traditional copper wire-based cables and even wireless. The light is not necessarily visible to the naked eye, as it depends on the wavelength (usually in nanometres) of the light wave. Mostly the Infrared wavelengths are used and there are plenty of concepts related to it which we discuss in detail on our other blog.
Fibre optic media brings the advantages of high speed, high bandwidth, and lower latencies. This makes it highly reliable and less susceptible to breakage and hence massive reduction in outages. But fibre breakage is also dependent on how the fibre cable is laid and how it is protected, as it is mostly delicate and must be structurally ducted underground or aerially.
It is ideal for high volumes of data transmission such as in a metro city, inter-city communication, data centres and inter-continental links.
Speaking of long distance communications other than optical fibre, we have wireless which is also known as wireless broadband, is a communication medium which uses air or the atmosphere to transmit electromagnetic waves wirelessly. This means that there are at least two antennas facing each other (point to point), but there can be more than two (point to multipoint). Wireless uses the Radio (RF) or Microwave frequencies and have multitude of uses in different areas, primarily the defense forces and business and residential internet use.
Wireless Media brings the advantages of quick installation and setup within a certain range from the far end antenna. This also has the advantage of not depending on city council / municipal permissions for underground digging and ducting, hence significantly reducing the cost. Wireless media cannot offer bandwidth as high as fibre optic, but still, it hovers around 1-GBPS or excess which is a good enough bandwidth for most businesses. Wireless is susceptible to obstructions in the line of sight (LOS) and bad weather both of which impact the performance and quality of the connectivity.
Ideal for cases where wired fibre optic infrastructure is not feasible, cost prohibitive or impractical and for cases that require some mobility and shifting flexibility, such as temporary networks for events, emergency response, military installations or where a business has some flexibility to shift offices in nearby buildings. Not to forget, wireless can do all this in lower setup times and lower cost.
Choosing between either media technology can either be a forceful / no-choice decision or when both options are available, it depends on careful evaluation of the location of the site in question. It also depends how long this connection is to be used at this location, that is how long the business or home will be at this location. If it is a tenancy or temporary site, then wireless is more flexible. If it is a permanent site, then a fibre optic is the best. For remote sites away from cities, and when the business is crucial, it is imperative to have both as a resiliency to each other.
In conclusion, it is advisable to have both connectivity options for any business – the fibre optic being the primary and preferred option and the wireless being the backup or standby option and nowadays SD-WAN can also combine both to make the best use of both the media circuits.
Places where only fibre optic media can be feasible but not wireless:
1. Intercontinental connections
2. All inland long-distance sites such as connecting cities, towns, and villages.
3. Where high speed, high bandwidth and lowest latency and jitter are required.
4. Permanent long-term settlement like a city, or a remote but permanent business area / factory.
5. Underground bunkers,
6. Where obstructions like skyscrapers, cranes, towers, or trees may rise up in the line of sight of the RF antenna.
7. Dense area where wireless licensed frequency in the area cannot be available or is saturated.
Places where only wireless media can be feasible but not fibre optic:
1. Remote landlocked or inland sites,
2. Where very high speed, latency and jitter do not matter so much,
3. Temporary sites where investment in fibre optic is not cost effective,
4. Where a network connection or internet is required as soon as possible
5. Where some mobility and shifting can be required
We at Quadrang Systems have vast experience in Network Planning, Network Provisioning, Network Engineering and Deploying wide area networks – both with an Internet Service Provider and also for Enterprise customers, dealing with various ISPs in their region across the world. We expertise in our NOC (Network Operations Centre) which has industry veteran network engineers.
