When we read about pipelines, we typically think of the oil and gas industry. While it’s true that there are over two million miles of oil and gas pipelines running through our country, we use pipelines for more than just fuels. Worldwide, there are pipelines for a variety of purposes from water, milk, and beer to ammonia, ethanol, and sewage. With the advent of the internet, and the need to send electronic messages all over the world, we have found ways to build communication pipelines. Originally, these pipelines were furnished with copper wiring to carry electric signals from A to B. There are a few drawbacks to copper wiring, such as size, security, signal degradation, energy use, and unexpected risks. Here begins the transition from copper to fiber optics.
Fiber optics runs through conduit, similar to a pipeline, but it’s much smarter. Fiber is lighter, thinner, and smaller, meaning a higher concentration of effective communication highway per square inch. The security vulnerabilities of copper wiring are not applicable to fiber optics. Copper communications consists of an electronic signal being physically pushed down a line, which can be easy to snag and interpret. As opposed to fiber optics, which communicates via binary in the form of a flash of light. The signals received from a fiber optic network will have higher quality signal strength, arrive more quickly, and require less resources to send. The contamination of electromagnetic radiation, pulses, or interference cannot occur with the use of fiber optics. Copper is also highly susceptible to weather and environmental changes, and, since it is powered by electricity, can cause burns and fires. These restrictions and issues do not apply to fiber optic cables, which interact primarily with light through glass.
Many companies are moving away from the copper wire systems toward fiber optical because it just makes sense. Advanced Line Systems use precision directional boring teams to drill to areas that can’t be reached via excavator, backhoe, or other ditching machinery. Our guys are surgeons when it comes to pipeline construction around Colorado terrain, like highways, rivers, railways, and building. Give Advanced Line Systems a call to discuss your pipeline or conduit construction project.
