Media: Fiber and Unshielded Twisted Pair Copper

Media are the substances on which voice and data transmissions are carried. Characteristics of media have a direct bearing on the speed, accuracy and distance at which traffic can be carried. For example, thin copper lines carry data more slowly than thicker, higher-quality copper. Fiber carries calls faster and with fewer errors than high quality twisted pair copper cabling.

The two most prevalent media within organizations are fiber optic cabling and unshielded twisted pair (copper). The faster and more expensive of the two choices is fiber optics. Fiber optics provides higher speed and larger capacity than unshielded twisted pair. Fiber's superior performance is based on the fact that it is a non-electric medium. In contrast to copper, it does not act like an antenna to pick up noise and interference. New electronics in fiber optic networks are improving fiber's performance. These systems that improve the capacity of fiber are called wavelength division multiplexing or dense wavelength division multiplexing, DWDM. According to the Sprint Communications Company publication Trends™ 1998: