How Does Fiber Work?

 

You've heard us talking a lot about the fiber-to-the-home network we've built in rural Boone and Callaway counties. And you probably know that fiber broadband brings high-speed Internet access to these rural areas.
  
But if you don't know how fiber technology actually works, it's worth taking a few minutes to learn because...well...this is pretty cool stuff.
  
To build the network, we buried thousands of feet of fiber-optic cable throughout the area. Each cable contains a bundle of glass strands that are each approximately the size of a human hair. A laser sends information (data/Internet traffic, phone calls and/or video) over those strands via signals of light.
  
A completely new line is installed from the right-of-way to a home or business. Construction crews bury the cable and restore the ground as much as possible. In most cases, it's difficult to tell any work at all has been done. 
 
At the home or business, a small Optical Network Terminal box (ONT) is used to connect the fiber to wiring inside the building. It's a small piece of equipment and is usually placed in the same area your existing utilities enter the home.
 
Although the same kind of services are delivered over fiber, it's not DSL, it's not cable and it's not wireless. (You can, however, use a wireless router to use the service wirelessly throughout your home.)
 
It's better than those technologies. Unlike traditional copper lines, fiber-optic cable can carry a signal across great distances rather than just a few hundred yards. This makes it especially effective in rural areas. Fiber-optic cable is also less susceptible to external interference, like bad weather.
 
Fiber is also considered by many experts to be "future-proof" because its high-bandwidth capabilities will accommodate the continued growth of the Internet. Homes and businesses are able to transport massive amounts of data at very high speeds and connect multiple devices at once.
 
We're extremely excited to bring state-of-the-art fiber technology to mid-Missouri. You can learn more about Socket Fiber at www.socket.net/fiber.