Communication Infrastructure Corporation: Fiber vs. microwave

This guest blog was provided by Communication Infrastructure Corporation.

By now the word is out that microwave transmission is faster than fiber optic transmission. Let’s look at the science behind it.

We first note that the speed limit of the Universe is the speed of light, generally about 186,282 miles per second in a vacuum, known as “c.” The ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in another medium is known as its refractive index. The refractive index of the Earth’s atmosphere varies with temperature and pressure, but is very little different from a vacuum. It is about 1.0008.

186,282 / 1.0008 = 186,133.09 miles per second

The refractive index of optical fiber also varies among manufacturer and type but is generally around 1.5.

186,282 / 1.5 = 124,188.00 miles per second

Keeping transmission equipment out of the equation and comparing only the transmission medium, we find that the latency for the signal in an optical fiber is 8.05 microseconds per mile and for a microwave signal in the atmosphere is 5.37 microseconds per mile – a difference of about 33%.

Communication Infrastructure Corporation is a silver sponsor of The Trading Show Chicago. Marty Snyder, President and CEO of Communication Infrastructure Corporation, will be participating in a panel session at the event on the topic “Innovations in network and connectivity – discovering the next generation of fastest and most efficient trading routes.”