Fiber Optic Cable & Photonic Interconnects worked example

Cost Per Optical Link at 110% chargeable link-cost share: a worked example

This scenario runs the cost per optical link calculation on the strong side: 110% chargeable link-cost share, with every other input held at its documented default. Use it when costing data-center links, transceiver channels, patch-panel ports, MPO trunks, or photonic interconnect channels.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Optical links or ports in scope: 96 links (unchanged)
  • Cost per optical link: 18 $ / link (unchanged)
  • Chargeable link-cost share: 110 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 100)
  • Fixed link setup, test, or documentation cost: 350 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Optical link cost = links in scope × cost per link × chargeable share + fixed link cost) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 2,251 $ for total optical link cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 23.45 $ / link for average cost per optical link.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,901 $ for variable optical link cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 350 $ for fixed link setup/test cost.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where chargeable link-cost share sits at 100% and the headline result is 2,078 $, this scenario comes in 8.32% above the baseline at 2,251 $.
  • Use it when bidding link-count jobs, comparing in-house termination to buying pre-terminated trunks, or sizing a test cell. Treat this as a target state: the delta against the baseline quantifies what the improvement is worth before you commit to chasing it.

Results at a glance

  • Total optical link cost: 2,251 $ (headline result)
  • Average cost per optical link: 23.45 $ / link
  • Variable optical link cost: 1,901 $
  • Fixed link setup/test cost: 350 $

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Cost Per Optical Link calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.