Fiber optic cables often follow a color-coding system to indicate their type: Single-mode fibers - Typically yellow. Multi-mode fibers (OM1 & OM2) - Usually orange or sometimes gray. This seems easy enough, but when 10-Gigabit Ethernet and 50-micron. This guide explains how to identify them by appearance, labeling, and technical specifications, helping you make the right choice for your installation. What Is Single Mode Fiber? Single Mode fiber is designed to carry a single light path over long distances. The standard has a maximum distance of 10 meters, though Cisco currently only offers lengths up to 5m. Besides, a Gigabit single-mode optical fiber module can transmit as far as 160km, and a 10-Gigabit single-mode optical fiber module can transmit as far as 100km. Industry data shows more than 92% of.