Wire & Cable Design

Question

With wire and cable changing in design almost daily. Do we still see copper as a mode of communication with as many companies trying to go wireless? Second part of the question is, if copper is still viable what style is being designed into the new applications?

Any and all types of responses greatly appreciated.

curtis · Accepted Answer

though wireless is more and more popular, but it is not omnipotent. copper will still exist for a fairly long time, especially in some developing country.in the next step, fiber may be a good substitute of copper, and fiber also may be a competitor of wireless.

Denny · Answer

Wireless has limitation in terms of security and bandwidth in spite of its popularity; so copper is still important for the application of communication. The coexistence of wireless and copper will be the trend in the future's new applications.

awinning · Answer

I think it depends on a number of factors. Applications, security requirements, cost and the environment are all key. For a simple point to point connections over a short distance copper will stay in the short term, especially if the application requires high bandwidth. New standards such as HDMI will remain popular.

Some applications have gone wireless very quickly, especially for new installations and the extra cost of the equipment is offset by the lowered costs of installation and maintenance. As an extreme example of this, Finland had a very poor landline network across the country because of the harsh environment found there. But when mobile phones made communication accessable the country had the best take up in the world, reaching over 90% coverage in a few years. This is mirrored in a lot of poorer African and Asian countries.