In the past 15 years I have provided fiber optic training and certification for hundreds of technicians from many different industries — I even trained the technicians who operate the container ship cranes at the Long Beach Harbor in California.
The technology used in fiber optic communications has stayed pretty much the same since the beginning of this century. Fiber cables properly installed and terminated in 1998 will work just as well as new cables installed today, with one notable exception. In short distance (less than two miles) fiber runs, most end users and contractors are now installing multimode fiber strands that have a 50 micron core and are laser optimized. Older multimode fiber had a 62.5 micron core.