For years, pundits have seen fiber-optic networking as a technology of the future. The future is finally starting to happen. Brilliant engineering has stretched the capabilities of copper networks beyond what was thought possible even three years ago, but it's clear that it's downhill from here for copper networks. Although it may be years before fiber pulls ahead of copper as a desktop technology, it's clear that, for all but temporary installations, fiber is the first choice for backbones, servers, and data-intensive applications. The capability of running gigabit-speed networks on copper is great, but in the end, fiber will dominate networks.
Few companies can afford to rip out their wiring infrastructure and start from scratch.
Furthermore, many shops can extend the usefulness of existing Category 5 wiring by upgrading to gigabit technologies, thereby saving the cost of recabling. But the future is clearly in fiber, which has much higher potential for performance improvements and is no longer difficult to install. The relatively limited need for high-speed desktop connections means less pressure to wring every last bit out of existing copper wire. P.J. Connolly covers networking, security, and server technologies for the InfoWorld Test Center.