What limitation does copper have compared to optical fibers in terms of data transmission speed?

Copper's speed significantly decreases over longer distances due to the inherent electrical resistance and attenuation that occurs in copper cables. As data signals travel through copper, they experience degradation, leading to reduced signal quality and slower transmission speeds when the distance increases. This effect is particularly notable in applications requiring high data rates or long-distance communications, where the resistance in copper limits the effective distance for maintaining signal integrity without the need for repeaters or amplifiers.

In contrast, optical fibers transmit data as light signals, which do not suffer from the same levels of resistance and attenuation over distance. Thus, copper's physical limitations make it less suitable for applications that demand high-speed data transmission over long distances, highlighting the advantages of optical fiber technology in such scenarios.