How long is the lifespan of large-core optical fiber
But ask any veteran network engineer, and they will tell you a different story. The longevity of fiber optic cabling infrastructure has already exceeded 35 years since the first deployments and we expect the average lifetime will be much longer than 35 years based on the materials, technologies, and manufacturing processes used to produce modern, high quality optical fiber and. With proper installation, fibre optic cables have a service life of around 25 years, but in practice, can perform for far longer. A process called 'stress corrosion' is the biggest threat to the longevity of fibre cabling. While routers, switches, and transceivers often have upgrade cycles of 3 to 5 years, properly installed and maintained fiber cabling systems can last 15 years or more — spanning multiple hardware generations.
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