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Fiber optics is a medium that uses glass or plastic fibers to transmit data in the form of light sent in intervals along long distances. Information is sent as pulses of light that must be repeated at various points. Fiber optic lines can carry much more information at a time than traditional wires. The ability of fiber optic lines to carry digital data has significantly contributed to advances in digital communications because glass fibers are less subject to interference. Fiber optic cable is more expensive and harder to install and maintain and that often hinders its use in some communities.

 

 

An optical fiber cable consists of a core, cladding, and a buffer (a protective outer coating), in which the cladding guides the light along the core by using the method of total internal reflection. The core and the cladding (which has a lower-refractive-index) are usually made of high-quality silica glass, although they can both be made of plastic as well. Connecting two optical fibers is done by fusion splicing or mechanical splicing and requires special skills and interconnection technology due to the microscopic precision required to align the fiber cores.

Two main types of optical fiber used in optic communications include multi-mode optical fibers and single-mode optical fibers. A multi-mode optical fiber has a larger core (≥ 50 micrometers), allowing less precise, cheaper transmitters and receivers to connect to it as well as cheaper connectors. However, a multi-mode fiber introduces multimode distortion, which often limits the bandwidth and length of the link. Furthermore, because of its higher dopant content, multi-mode fibers are usually expensive and exhibit higher attenuation. The core of a single-mode fiber is smaller (<10 micrometers) and requires more expensive components and interconnection methods, but allows much longer, higher-performance links. Both single- and multi-mode fiber is offered in different grades.

 

MMF FDDI 62.5/125 µm (1987)	MMF OM1 62.5/125 µm (1989)	MMF OM2 50/125 µm (1998)	MMF OM3 50/125 µm (2003)	MMF OM4 50/125 µm (2008)	MMF OM5 50/125 µm (2016)	SMF OS1 9/125 µm (1998)	SMF OS2 9/125 µm (2000)
160 MHz·km @ 850 nm	200 MHz·km @ 850 nm	500 MHz·km @ 850 nm	1500 MHz·km @ 850 nm	3500 MHz·km @ 850 nm	3500 MHz·km @ 850 nm & 1850 MHz·km @ 950 nm	1 dB/km @ 1300/ 1550 nm	0.4 dB/km @ 1300/ 1550 nm

 

 

 

 

 

 

Internet access is widely available in New Zealand, with 93% of New Zealanders having access to the internet as of January 2020. It first became accessible to university students in the country in 1989. As of June 2018, there are 1,867,000 broadband connections, of which 1,524,000 are residential and 361,000 are business or government. (For reference, there are 1,679,800 households in New Zealand as of September 2013.)

Fibre to the home (FTTH) accounts for 32% of connections, and FTTH use is accelerating rapidly with 54% growth in 2018. Digital subscriber line (DSL) over phone lines provides 44% of connections (down 16% in 2018) and cable internet, mobile broadband, fixed wireless and satellite broadband account for the remaining quarter of connections. Fibre to the home is provided through New Zealand’s Ultra-Fast Broadband program, started after 2008 with a target of 87% of the population by 2020. FTTH is available to 67% of New Zealanders.