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. Many factors decide the fiber cable distance, but the key factors include the below six aspects. When installing these cables, one of the critical considerations is the maximum distance they can be pulled without damaging the fibers. The reach of multimode fiber, which has a larger core diameter and supports multiple modes of light propagation. Fiber optics transmits information by sending light signals through thin strands of glass. Light pulses degrade as they travel over long spans, primarily.