One of the main advantages of fibre-optic solutions is the complete immunity to ground loops, surges and spikes. This often overlooked fact may be in many situations the most important one. SMATV & IRS systems, due to antennas located on roofs of buildings, are particularly vulnerable to surges resulting from lightning. Despite proper grounding of all system components, some of the equipment of traditional SMATV & IRS systems can be irreversibly damaged. Notably, overvoltages can destroy not only the SMATV & IRS equipment, but in extreme cases also some user devices, such as satellite receivers or televisions. In contrast, fibre optic cable is a perfect insulator. This means that all the surges induced in antennas installed on a roof will not cross the optical transmitter - all other components of the system as well as user devices are fully protected.