Towards High-Performance Optical Fiber Networks: A Critical Review of Design, Metrics and Innovations

A. A. Ndakotsu, A. D. Usman, A. S. Yaro, M. Ja'afar, I. Yau, A. M. Tekanyi, Z. M. Abdullahi

Abstract


The fast-tracking demand for ultra reliable, high-capacity data transport has cemented optical fiber communication (OFC) as the backbone of modern connectivity. This paper presents a precise review that traces OFC’s evolution from 19th century semaphore and telegraph systems to today’s terabit scale, wavelength division multiplexed networks. It synthesizes core technical concepts: optical transmitters, transmission links, receivers, and the contrasting roles of single mode and multimode fibers and benchmarks network performance through key indicators of availability, throughput, latency, and packet loss. Surveyed simulation and field studies consistently confirm OFC’s advantages of enormous bandwidth (>10 Tb s⁻¹ per fiber), low attenuation (~0.16 dB km⁻¹ at 1 550 nm), electromagnetic immunity, and sub 40 ms latencies on optimized long-haul links, while also exposing performance gaps in under tuned 100 Gb s⁻¹ channels and last mile deployments. Looking forward, the review identifies three converging trends: Migration toward fully all optical processing that eliminates electronic bottlenecks; Adoption of advanced modulation, elastic grid spectra, and coherent detection to unlock petabit capacities; and Integration of AI driven monitoring and hybrid fiber/Free Space Optical or software defined architectures for dynamic impairment mitigation. Collectively, these advances position OFC to satisfy surging bandwidth, cloud, and edge intelligence workloads while extending high quality broadband to underserved regions. The paper concludes that sustained innovation in devices, networking algorithms, and techno economic policy is essential to realize OFC’s full global impact.


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