We’ve all been there; sitting in front of the computer, waiting for an important file to download or for the latest episode of Eastenders to load on BBC iPlayer as our broadband connection trundles along. Internet speeds often don’t seem to have caught up with society’s growing reliance on the internet.
Thankfully, scenes such as those outlined above are soon to be a thing of the past thanks to fibre optic broadband. You’ve probably heard of fibre optic broadband through a number of adverts extolling the virtues of their service and boasting of unbelievable broadband speeds.
These are no empty boasts – fibre optic speeds can top 70mb, loading entire movies in the blink of an eye. For the avid streamer or downloader, fibre optic is the answer to their prayers.
Up until a few years ago, the UK had some of the worst broadband speeds in the developed world. However, BT have been embarking on a nationwide deployment of fibre optic broadband, investing £2.5bn between 2010 – 2015 in order to make fibre optic as widely available as they can.
This deployment involves laying down hundreds of fibre optic cables across the country, building a network connected to everyone. These cables are either connected directly to homes, to apartment buildings, to specialist broadband nodes or to the existing copper wire network.
How Are Fibre Optic Cables Built?
Fibre optic cables are usually custom built, putting cable designers at the heart of the UK broadband revolution. Like most custom cables, the cables used in the fibre optic network have to operate under a unique, often strenuous, set of the circumstances.
A fibre optic cable consists of a bundle of fibres contained within a single cable. A single fibre consists of a core, which is cladded. Cable extrusion is then used to provide a protective buffer layer around each layer. The fibres are then sheathed to form a single cable.
The cables used in the UK broadband network go beyond this simplistic design as they have to operate under harsh conditions. Rather than being laid flat, the fibres are laid in a helix, providing flexibility without damaging the fibres themselves. This allows cables to be stretched across distances without compromising on performance.
Being laid underground also means that there is the potential for damage from construction projects; fibre optic cables are costly, so a damaged cable would be expensive to replace. This is why fibre optic cables are often coated in Kevlar to provide with the ultimate protection against careless workmen!
Being underground also means that the cables will be frequently exposed to moisture, which could potentially compromise the performance of the cable. To get around this, cable designers often include a protective layer of copper or even water absorbent powder to keep the cable dry and working to its best.
Custom Designed Cables have experience in building all kinds of cables for all kinds of applications, including fibre optic cables. If you’re interested in having your own set of custom cables designed and constructed by professionals you can trust, contact us today.