The short answer is no – Fiber optic cables have been around since 1952, and although the digital landscape has changed, fiber won’t become obsolete anytime soon. It’s pretty hard to compete against the speed of light.
Many countries have been steadily replacing older copper cable infrastructures, with fiber optic cables all around the world. With technology advancing at such a fast rate, the only way to keep up is with faster data transfer speeds. This is where fiber beats the competition hands down.
Fiber optic cables are able to transmit data faster than copper cables, because they use light instead of electrical pulses to carry data from one point to another. This light is more stable and able to travel a lot faster and further.
Two distinct different hardware deployments emerged for fiber optic networks known as ground and aerial fiber installations.
Pole Line Aerial Fiber Optic Infrastructure
They are installed above ground with poles and normally cheaper and faster to install but run the high risk of nature and weather damages. Refer to blog “Key Factors – Buried vs Aerial Fiber Installations” for more in-depth comparisons.
Underground Fiber Optic Infrastructure
They are installed underground, but costs more and take longer to install compared to Aerial installs, however they are much more reliable as they are protected from above ground elements. Refer to blog “Aerial vs. Underground Fiber” for more in-depth comparisons.
Even the new 5G infrastructure (Launched April 2019) relies heavy on the existing fiber infrastructure.
Fiber is here to stay for many, many years to come.