Cable Size in Inches
0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35
0 0.05 0.1
Copper Fiber
Cable Weight in Pounds per Foot
0.015 0.02 0.025 0.03 0.035 0.04 0.045
0 0.005 0.01
Copper Fiber
Cable Cost in Dollars per Foot
0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35
0 0.05 0.1
Copper Fiber
January/February/March 2020 I 49
decade, Category copper cabling standards have changed
from Cat 3 all the way to Cat 8. Over these five generations
(Cat 3, Cat 5e, Cat 6, Cat 6A, Cat 8), healthcare
facilities were expected to upgrade to the next generation
in an effort to support increasing data speeds, often
wasting money and disrupting operations in the process.
Optical fiber cabling, such as singlemode optical fiber
(SMF), has no theoretical bandwidth limit. Today, SMF
has proven to support 101 Tb/sec, but that ceiling is
only an artificial limit based on the electronic transmission
technology currently available. Since the ANSI/
TIA-1179-A “Healthcare Facility Telecommunications
Infrastructure” standard recommends using the highest
performing cable media whenever possible, SMF is
clearly the right choice.
Greater Gigabit Ethernet Access
Density with Reduced Cabling
One SMF can serve 128 gigabit Ethernet (GbE) endpoints
whereas 128 separate copper cables with a larger diameter
would otherwise be required (Figure 3). According to
ANSI/TIA-1179-A, 45 percent of rooms should have two
to six Gigabit ports, 25 percent should have six to 12
ports and 30 percent of rooms should have 14 or more
ports. When calculating the ANSI/TIA-1179-A Gigabit
port requirement for a healthcare facility with 100 rooms
(e.g., 45 rooms have six ports; 25 rooms have 12 ports;
30 rooms have 16 ports), the facility would require
a total of 1,050 Gigabit ports.
For the cabling, 1,050 Gigabit ports would require
1,050 copper cables. By using SMF, that same number
of Gigabit ports can be served by only nine optical fiber
cables. Assuming that each one of those 1,050 Gigabit
ports requires access drop cabling connectivity that is 300
feet (approximately 91 meters) long, the 1,050 300-foot
lengths of Cat 6A access cables would weigh 12,285
pounds (Figure 4). The bundle of 1,050 cables would be
almost two feet (approximately 0.61 meters) in diameter.
In contrast to Cat 6A, optical fiber cabling that serves
1,050 Gigabit ports would weigh only 10 pounds (i.e., six
tons less than Cat 6A) in a bundle no larger than one inch
in diameter. Ultimately, the Cat 6A cable cost, at 33 cents
per lineal foot, would total $1,039.50. SMF costs 11 cents
per lineal foot, totaling only $346.50 (Figure 5).
FIGURE 3: A single SMF cable diameter is generally .11 inches,
compared to the larger Cat 6A cable diameter of .29 inches.
FIGURE 4: SMF cable weighs roughly .004 pounds per foot
versus Cat 6A, which is heavier at .039 pounds per foot.
1
FIGURE 5: SMF cable costs approximately $ .11 per foot and
Cat 6A at $ .33 per foot.