20 Years of Fiber Optic Internet in Lithuania

Internet users have heard the term “fiber optic” many times, but hardly everyone knows what it really is?

The era of fiber optic Internet began on October 28, 1998, in Lithuania. Penkių kontinentų komunikacijų centras, a part of the Penki kontinentai group, was the first in Lithuania to offer its customers the fastest Internet access.

“The introduction of fiber optic networks has changed the Internet capabilities, has increased its speed, which is growing further. You will not surprise users with 100 or 300 Mbps speed. Most advanced customers order the Gigabit Internet. It is available in Lithuania since 2012. Soon everyone can appreciate the benefits of 10 Gbps Internet”, says Romas Rimgaila, director of Penkių kontinentų komunikacijų centras.

He accents that the Internet today is an integral part of our lives. Devices that are connected to the Internet surround us: computers, smartphones, cars, for example. Airplanes were the only place where it was not possible to access the Internet. From now on, some solutions provide access to the World Wide Web even during flight. TV-set has ceased to be a blue screen for TV broadcasts. Its additional features allow playing online games, listening to music, and chatting with friends. All this requires only high-speed fiber-optic Internet.

How does a fiber optic cable work?

Optical fiber is a thin strand of high-quality quartz glass. Information is transmitted by light reflection. The thickness of each strand is only 125 microns, a little more than a human hair. The cable consists of about 90 such strands in a hydrophobic gel. A polyethylene, plastic, steel, or metal sheath protects them from the outside. Due to the radiation absence, such a network is safe for humans.

“Fiber optic cable is especially durable. It withstands loads up to 8 tons. Even an elephant that weighs 5-6 tons cannot crush it”, says the director of Penkių kontinentų komunikacijų centras.

The benefits of fiber optic cable

Quartz glass does not conduct electrical current. The signal will not be interrupted, even if lightning strikes next to the cable. “During a thunderstorm, the Internet connection was often interrupted, and its restoration required both time and financial costs in the era of copper wires. Due to the fiber cables optic, this problem does not exist”, says Romas Rimgaila.

The copper wires are easy money for thieves because copper is a valuable metal. Stealing fiber optic cable is useless!

Copper wires are used to transmit electrical energy and signals. Fiber optic cables transmit light and provide bandwidth up to 10 Gbps and above. The fiber optic cable transmits information at greater speeds and over longer distances.

“In other words, we get faster and more stable Internet using fiber optic cables. Today it is important to connect multiple devices to the Internet simultaneously because many families have more than one tablet, computer, or smartphone”, says a representative of Penki about the benefits of fiber-optic Internet.

In 1998, Penkių kontinentų komunikacijų centras was the first company in Lithuania that offered the fastest Internet access to the clients. In 2008, its speed was 100 Mbps, in 2012 – 1 Gbps, and in November 2017, for the first time in Lithuania, the Internet speed at the College of Social Sciences reached 10 Gbps. Penki offers Vilnius residents high-speed Internet and smart TV services.