Have you ever wondered how fiber optics go from glass strands to cables that actually transmit data to and from your home? One of the most important steps of the process is fiber splicing, which is a process at the end of the fiber construction workflow that professionals use to connect two fiber-optic cables. This process allows Internet service providers to lengthen their fiber lines as new towns become serviceable.

Let’s discuss what fiber splicing is and how it works.

What Is Fiber Splicing?

When Internet service providers first lay down fiber, the strands are not fully connected. Professionals connect each strand with fusion splicing to ensure data can be transmitted through it. Fusion splicing is the process of joining optical fibers with an electronic arc. This machine creates a permanent bond and results in low-loss connections. We’ll explain what low-loss connections entail in a bit.

Next, the splicers strip the fiber using a fiber stripper tool. Then, they clean the fiber with alcohol swabs to get rid of any containments. The splicer aligns the two strands of fiber on the machine using a microscope. At that point, the electric arc heats the fiber strands until they are fused together. The fiber cools and solidifies as one.

Once the process is finished, the splicer will perform a test to ensure low light loss. Low light loss means that most light will pass through the cable instead of getting fractured or reflected along the way. It is necessary for high-speed data transmission.

How Does Splicing Fit into the Fiber-Optic Construction Process?

As mentioned previously, splicing is one of the last steps of the fiber construction process. It occurs before restoration and installation and after drilling and laying fiber. However, even though it’s near the end of the process, it’s arguably one of the most important steps. After all, splicing is what “lights up” or provides connectivity to a town.

To learn more about the start-to-finish construction process, read our blog post called What to Expect When Pavlov Media Is Constructing in Your City.

What Else Is Fiber Splicing Used For?

In addition to lighting up new fiber construction, fiber splicing is also used to fix severed optical cables. If fiber cables are significantly damaged, the broken portion will be removed, and the two remaining ends will be spliced together to restore functionality.

Why is Fiber Splicing Important?

Fiber splicing is an important step in providing fiber Internet to your home. Splicing will be the key factor to keeping your connectivity consistent and strong when connected to the network to eliminate connection loss. Without proper splicing, many interruptions and signal degradation can lead to outages and poor performance. Splicing also enables efficient data transmission at high speeds over long distances. It ensures customers enjoy fast and consistent internet speeds, even for bandwidth-intensive applications like streaming, gaming, and video conferencing. While the initial investment in splicing equipment and labor may be higher, properly spliced fiber connections require less maintenance over time than other connections. This can result in long-term cost savings for both service providers and customers.

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