Multimode fiber

networking

Stands for: Multimode optical fiber (OM1-OM5)

The short-reach fiber of buildings and data centers - a wide core, cheaper optics, distances of hundreds of meters.

Multimode's 50-micron core (62.5 in legacy OM1) carries many light paths at once; their spread (modal dispersion) is what caps distance as speeds rise. Grades OM1 through OM5 mark the progression - OM3 and OM4 (aqua) are the laser-optimized workhorses for 10-100 Gb/s inside facilities, OM5 (lime) adds wideband support for multi-wavelength short reach. The trade against single-mode is classic: cheaper transceivers, shorter reach.

Also known as: multimode, mmf, om3, om4, om5

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