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Singlemode Fiber Types

There are several designations used to describe various types of singlemode fiber that are
often confusing. Here are the ones in common use today.

Description IEC SMF Type ITU Spec. TIA Spec

Standard Singlemode
B1.1 G.652 TIA 492CAAA / OS1
Fiber
Cutoff Shifted Fiber B1.2 G.654
Low Water Peak
B1.3 G.652 TIA 492CAAB / OS2
Fiber
Dispersion Shifted
B2 G.653
Fiber
Non-Zero Dispersion
B4 G.655 TIA-492E000 / TIA-
Shifted Fiber
492EA00
Bend-Insensitive Fiber G .657

The standards bodies with vested interest in the governance of optical fiber specifications are:
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) – Formed of manufacturers and standards bodies
representing over 90 nations. For optical fiber specifications and standards, ISO and IEC collaborate
on several Joint Technical Committees (JTC).
IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) – IEC addresses the electronics and
telecommunications industries, and counts over 50 nations among its membership. The current IEEE
802.3 standard for Ethernet cites TIA-568 and ISO/IEC 11801 for optical fiber specifications.
TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association) – Now part of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA).
TIA is comprised of manufacturers who are primarily suppliers to the telecom industry but include
other interested groups. TIA is primarily involved (through the American National Standards Institute
or ANSI) in optical fiber and system test standards.
ITU (International Telecommunication Union) – The ITU is part of the United Nations System of
Organizations, and over 180 countries currently are represented within the ITU. The ITU administers
the commonly referenced single-mode fiber standards documents, G.652 through G.655, as required
by telecom systems manufcturers and their customers.

ITU Standards

The ITU has defined a series of recommendations that describe the geometrical properties and

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transmissive properties of multimode and single-mode fiber-optic cables. The four most important
recommendations are listed here:
ITU G.651 Covers multimode 50/125 micron graded-index fiber.
ITU G.652 Covers single-mode NDSF (non-dispersion-shifted fiber). This fiber is in most of the cable
that was installed in the 1980s. Optimized in the 1,310-nm range. Low water peak fiber has been
specifically processed to reduce the water peak at 1400 nm to allow use in that range. There are 4
subcategories:
G.652A :
Atten </= 0.5 / 0.4 at 1310 / 1550nm
Macrobend </= 0.5 dB at 1550nm
PMD </= 0.5 ps/sqrt(km)

G.652B :
Atten </= 0.4 / 0.35 / 0.4 at 1310 / 1550 / 1625nm
Macrobend </= 0.5 dB at 1625nm
PMD </= 0.2 ps/sqrt(km)

G.652C :
Atten </= 0.4 from 1310 to 1625nm, </= 0.3 at 1550nm, and
at 1383nm, it must be </= that specified at 1310nm, after hydrogen aging.
Macrobend </= 0.5 dB at 1625nm
PMD </= 0.5 ps/sqrt(km)

G.652D (covers all above):

Atten </= 0.4 from 1310 to 1625nm, </= 0.3 at 1550nm, and
at 1383nm, it must be </= that specified at 1310nm, after hydrogen aging.
Macrobend </= 0.5 dB at 1625nm
PMD </= 0.2 ps/sqrt(km)

ITU G.653 Covers single-mode dispersion-shifted optical fiber. Dispersion is minimized in the 1,550-
nm wavelength range. At this range attenuation is also minimized, so longer distance cables are
possible.

ITU G.654: Covers single-mode fibre which has the zero-dispersion wavelength around 1300 m
wavelength which is cut-off shifted and loss minimized at a wavelength around 1550 nm and which is
optimized for use in the 1500-1600 nm region.

ITU G.655 Covers single-mode NZ-DSF (nonzero dispersion-shifted) fiber) , which takes advantage
of dispersion characteristics that suppress the growth of four-wave mixing, a problem with WDM
(wavelength division multiplexing) systems. NZ-DSF supports high-power signals and longer
distances, as well as closely spaced DWDM (dense WDM) channels at rates of 10 Gbits/sec or higher.
G.655 is optimized for WDM and long-distance cable runs such as transoceanic cables. It uses
dispersion to reduce the effect of four-wave mixing (FWM), which occurs in DWDM systems when
three wavelengths mix in such a way to produce a fourth wavelength that overlays and interferes with
the original signals.

ITU G.657 Covers bend-insensitive single- mode fiber.

G.652D-compliant designations for long- reach applications:
G.657.A1 (10 mm minimum design radius)
G.657.A2 (7.5 mm minimum design radius)
and these G.652-compatible designations for short-reach (< 1 km) drop applications:
G.657.B2 (7.5 mm minimum design radius)
G.657.B3 (5 mm minimum design radius)

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TIA Standards

TIA TIA-492C000 EN-Sectional Specification for Class IVa Dispersion-Unshifed Single-Mode

Optical Fibers
TIA TIA-492CA00 EN-Blank Detail Specification for Class IVa Dispersion-Unshifted Single Mode
Optical Fibers
TIA TIA-492CAAA EN-Detail Specification for Class IVa Dispersion-Unshifted Single-Mode
Optical Fibers
TIA TIA-492CAAB EN-Detail Specification for Class IVa Dispersion-Unshifted Single-Mode
Optical Fibers with Low Water Peak
TIA TIA-492E000 EN-Sectional Specification for Class IVd Nonzero-Dispersion Single-Mode
Optical Fibers for the 1550 nm Window
TIA TIA-492EA00 EN-Blank Detail Specification for Class IVd Nonzero-Dispersion Single-Mode
Optical Fiber for the 1550 nm Window

TIA TR-42 specifies singlemode fiber optic cable for premises applications. OS1 or OS2 fiber for
outdoor or indoor/outdoor applications is specified for a maximum attenuation of 0.5 dB/km at either
1310 05 1550 nm. For indoor applications, OS1 or OS2 fiber is specified for a maximum attenuation
of 1.0 dB/km at either 1310 05 1550 nm.

Multimode Fiber Types

Core TIA-492 IEC-60793-2- ITU-T TIA-568 OM Fiber

Diameter 10 Type (TIA)
62.5 μm 492AAAA-A Type A1b --- TIA 492AAAA OM1
50 μm 492AAAB-A Type A1a.1 G.651.1 TIA 492AAAB OM2
50 μm 492AAAC-B Type A1a.2 G.651.1 TIA 492AAAC OM3
50 μm 492AAAD Type A1a.3 G.651.1 TIA 492AAAD OM4
50 μm 492AAAE Type A1a.4 G.651.1 TIA 492AAAE OM5

OM1 is legacy 62.5/125 micron multimode fiber standardized for data by IBM in the mid 1980s,
adopted by FDDI in the late 1980s and standardized for TIA-568 in the early versions of the premises
cabling standard.

OM2 is legacy 50/125 micron multimode fiber standardized for data for gigabit multimode networks in
the late 1990s in TIA-568.

OM3 and OM4 are higher bandwidth versions of 50/125 fiber used for faster data networks and for
longer distance links.

OM5 is a wideband 50/125 micron multimode fiber standardized for use with short wavelength WDM
with VCSEL sources in the range of 850-950nm.

Here is more information on the nomenclature and use of multimode fibers.

Color Codes

Fiber types are identified by color codes for cable jackets and/or connectors.

More information on fiber optic color codes.

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