What s used for fiber optic cable connections

In September 2012, NTT Japan demonstrated a single fiber cable that was able to transfer 1 per second (10 bits/s) over a distance of 50 kilometers. Although larger cables are available, the highest strand-count single-mode fiber cable commonly manufactured is the 864-count, consisting of 36 ribbons each containing 24 strands of fiber. These high fiber count cables are used in, and as distribution cables in and networks. [PDF]