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Networking & Telecommunications vocabulary · Cabling and Fibre

Single-mode fibre

Meaning in networking & telecommunications, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In networking & telecommunications, single-mode fibre means: A type of optical fibre with a very thin core, about 9 micrometres across, that carries light along a single path and can send data over many kilometres; used by operators and between buildings.

In Turkish: tek modlu fiber, single-mode fiber

How it is used

Often written SMF or SM. Engineers must match the fibre type to the optics: single-mode transceivers will not work properly on multimode fibre. Single-mode patch cables are usually yellow, while multimode ones are often orange or aqua.

Example sentences

  1. The link between the two campuses is 12 km long, so it has to be single-mode fibre.

  2. We ordered the wrong optics: they're multimode, but the building has single-mode fibre.

Common collocations

  • multimode fibre
  • single-mode optics
  • single-mode patch cable
  • SMF link
  • fibre optic cableA cable that carries data as pulses of light through very thin strands of glass, allowing much higher speeds and much longer distances than copper.
  • transceiverA small plug-in module, such as an SFP, that both sends and receives signals, usually converting electrical signals in a switch or router into light for a fibre link.
  • attenuationThe gradual loss of signal strength as a signal travels along a cable or through the air, measured in decibels (dB), often per kilometre for fibre.
  • spliceTo join two optical fibres end to end so that light passes from one to the other with as little loss as possible, usually by melting them together with a fusion splicer.

More terms: Cabling and Fibre

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