As we ring in the New Year, we are also preparing to usher in a new generation of multimode fiber – OM5. OM5 cable was chosen to be the new standard for cabling containing wideband multimode fiber in the upcoming 3rd edition of the ISO/IEC 11801. The acceptance of this standard is a milestone for the fiber cabling performance category because it extends the benefits of this revolutionary multimode fiber within connected buildings and data centers worldwide.
Here are 5 things you need to know about the next generation of multimode fiber:
1. OM5 is designed to perform across the at least four low-cost wavelengths in the 850-950 nm range
2. OM5 provides optimal support of emerging Shortwave Wavelength Division Multiplexing (SWDM) applications which reduce the amount of fibers needed for high speed transmissions
3. OM5 has the ability to support four SWDM channels, each carrying 25G of data to deliver 100G Ethernet using a single pair of multimode fibers
4. OM5 cabling supports all legacy applications and is fully compatible with OM3 and OM4 cabling
5. OM5 has all of the capabilities of OM4 plus more, including the addition of bend tolerant characteristics
Multimode fiber cable has long been a versatile connectivity solution with high capability and reliability for local area networks and voice, video and data applications. With the introduction of OM5, wideband multimode fiber will further expand its reach.
