Fiber Optic Cable

Access to fiber optic cable at U-M can be acquired by renting access to an extensive interbuilding fiber plant and/or having intrabuilding fiber installed.

Fiber optic cable is composed of microscopic strands of glass. Information in the form of bytes of data can travel through this glass over longer distances and at higher bandwidths (data rates) than other types of cable.

Single Mode Fiber Optic Cable

Single mode fiber is used for both interbuilding and intrabuilding backbone cable. At distances up to 3 km, single mode fiber will deliver data rates up to 10 Gbps with a bandwidth of 20Ghz. Its operating wavelengths are 1310 nm and 1550 nm. Single mode fiber's primary uses are full motion video and any applications requiring extremely high bandwidth.

Multimode Fiber Optic Cable

As an intrabuilding backbone cable at distances of under 2 km, multimode fiber optic cable will deliver data rates up to 1 Gbps. Its operating wavelengths are 850 nm and 1300 nm. For distances of 100 m or less, the bandwidth is virtually unlimited. Multimode fiber is used for voice, data, security, and video systems.

Orders, Rates, and Installation

• Fiber Lease Rates
• Intrabuilding Installations
• Conduit Order Form

Additional Product Information

• Interbuilding Fiber Lease Service Level Agreement

Related Products

• Coaxial Cable
• Station Cable

For More Information

Bob Scapelliti (scap@umich.edu)
ITS Comm Engineering Director