Fiber optic cable can be run anywhere from 300 meters up to 80 kilometers (roughly 50 miles) depending on the cable type, transceiver used, and network standard. For most enterprise or data center applications using multimode fiber, the practical limit sits between 300 m and 550 m. Some cables reach ~30 m but risk dropouts. Treat ADAT/Lightpipe conservatively unless your gear specifies longer spans. Use multimode fiber for short-to-medium runs. Let's dig deeper into the numbers for full details of your fiber optic cable range: 1 GB/s Network – An OM1 cable supports 1000BASE-SX up to 275 meters, increasing to 550 meters with an OM2 cable. If you want to reach greater distances of 860 meters, it's probably best to use single mode cable. This guide dives deep into the maximum length constraints of the three most common network cables—Ethernet, coaxial, and fiber optic—explaining why these limits exist, how they vary by cable type, and how to extend them when needed. Even details like connector quality, splicing, and cleaning practices impact maximum optical cable reach. This guide takes a deep dive into. The maximum reach of a fiber optic cable is not a property of the cable alone — it is the result of a balance between the link attenuation and sensitivity of active equipment A single OS2 cable can carry 1 Gbps over 100 km with suitable modules, or only 10 Gbps over 10 km with standard modules.