Fiber optic transmission distance varies based on fiber type, environmental conditions, and equipment selection. Key. Many factors decide the fiber cable distance, but the key factors include the below six aspects. Attenuation First is the attenuation of the optical fiber. Given perfect conditions in a lab-like setting without ensuring no signal degradation, how far could fiber optics transmit data? Hundreds of. An analysis of the attenuation budget: Which is the maximum distance before the signal is too small and the photodiode cannot detect it? (attenuation limited link) An analysis of the dispersion budget: which is the maximum distance before the 3. When designing and implementing fiber optic networks, it is important to take into account these factors and follow certain precautions to. Metropolitan networks use short-distance data transmission that can connect different networks, business centres, large nearby cities, etc.