Why Do We Need to Mix Multimode Optical Fibers?

Normally, light-emitting diode (LED) light sources and 62.5μm fiber are used in 10/100Mbps Ethernet. With the need of network upgrading for higher rates, the light source of new technology, vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), is required. VCSELs can switch more rapidly than LEDs, making them better for higher data rates. And for longer transmission distances, 50μm fibers are more adopted than 62.5μm fibers. Therefore, most premises installations are now using laser-optimized 50/125μm fiber for 1/10/100 Gigabit Ethernet instead of the legacy 62.5/125μm fiber. However, existing fiber cable systems still use 62.5µm fibers in many applications, resulting in numerous needs in mixing the 62.5μm and 50μm fibers.