In addition to UTP, some wires use shielded twisted pairs (STP), which reduce electrical interference even further.
Multimode fiber is approximately 62.5 μm in diameter and utilizes light-emitting diodes to carry signals over a maximum distance of about 2 kilometers.
[1] Single mode fiber is approximately 10 μm in diameter and is capable of carrying signals over tens of miles.
In the center of a coaxial cable is a copper wire that acts as a conductor, where the information travels.
The center conductor is surrounded by plastic insulation, which helps filter out extraneous interference.
Outer jackets form a protective covering for coax; the number and type of outer jackets depend on the intended use of the cable (e.g., whether the cable is supposed to be strung in the air or underground, whether rodent protection is required).
The next major use of coax in telecommunications occurred in the 1950s, when it was deployed as submarine cable to carry international traffic.
Early computer architectures required coax as the media type from the terminal to the host.
[citation needed] Coax has also been used in cable TV and the local loop, in the form of HFC architecture.
Fiber terminates at the neighborhood node, where coax fans out to provide home service.
[3] With technology constantly changing, there is a debate on whether physical media is still prudent and necessary to an increasingly wireless world.