
Expert opinions vary, but many agree that up to 75% of all fiber network problems are caused by contamination of patch cords, adapters, alignment sleeves or transceivers. Dirty endface connectors in particular are a real hazard to modern fiber-optic networks. The higher the light frequency in a network, the greater its sensitivity to contamination. This means that faster 5G networks, which need every milliwatt of power to function flawlessly, are more vulnerable to contamination.