OM1 Duplex fiber optic cable types result in variations

Fibers come in several different configurations, each ideally suited to a different use or application. Early fiber designs that are still used today include single-mode and multimode fiber. Since Bell Laboratories invented the concept of application-specific fibers in the mid-1990s, fiber designs for specific network applications have been introduced. These new fiber designs – used primarily for the transmission of communication signals – include Non-Zero Dispersion Fiber (NZDF), Zero Water Peak Fiber (ZWPF), 10-Gbps laser optimized multimode fiber (OM1 Duplex fibers), and fibers designed specifically for submarine applications. Specialty fiber designs, such as dispersion compensating fibers and erbium doped fibers, perform functions that complement the transmission fibers. The differences among the different transmission fiber types result in variations in the range and the number of different wavelengths or channels at which the light is transmitted or received, the distances those signals can travel without being regenerated or amplified, and the speeds at which those signals can travel.For these parallel systems, IEEE set an objective of a minimum reach of 100 meters (m), specifically on OM3 fiber (OM1 Duplex  and OM2 fibers will not be supported in the 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s standard). Because the 100 m distance is expected to cover only about 85 percent of data center links, the Task force subsequently adopted OM4, capable of reaching 125 m. Although the additional 25 m may seem insignificant, it will support the majority of the remaining access to distribution and  distribution to core links in large data centers.