What Is Multi-Core Optical Fiber and Why It Matters in Next-Gen Optical Networks
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The relentless growth of data traffic from cloud computing, AI workloads, and 5G networks is placing enormous strain on traditional optical infrastructure. While single-core optical fibers have long been the workhorse of data transmission, they are approaching their capacity limits. Multi-core optical fiber (MCF) offers a promising alternative, introducing spatial diversity within a single strand to multiply data throughput. In this article, we explore what multi-core optical fiber is, how it works, and why it’s becoming increasingly important for future optical networks. What Is Multi-Core Optical Fiber? Multi-core optical fiber is a type of fiber optic cable that integrates multiple light-guiding cores into a single cladding. Each core can independently carry a separate optical signal, functioning much like having multiple parallel single-mode fibers within one protective jacket. Typical designs range from 2 to 19 cores per fiber, with cores arranged symmetrically to maintain stru...