Fiber optic joints or terminations are made two ways: 1) splices which create a permanent joint between the two fibers or 2) connectors that mate two fibers to create a temporary joint and/or connect the fiber to a piece of network gear. Multimode fiber (MMF) is an optical fiber designed to carry multiple light propagation paths—or modes—simultaneously. This is made possible by its relatively large core diameter, typically 50 or 62. 5 microns, compared to the ~9-micron core in single-mode fiber. Although they can do the same job in some instances, the different construction methods make each of them better suited to certain tasks and budgets. Either joining method must have three primary characteristics. From the fiber core and core size to single mode fiber and multimode fiber cables, each type of optical cable serves a specific purpose depending on transmission distance, network requirements, and installation environment.
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