You may have heard the term "dark fiber" before. We can imagine that you don’t yet have a clear picture of what dark fiber is and what it has to offer. For many organizations, dark fiber can offer a host of benefits, especially if they have multiple locations that they want to keep well connected. But what exactly is dark fiber, and what benefits does it offer? We’re here to explain!
What is Dark Fiber?
You can take the name “Dark Fiber” quite literally, as it refers to unused fiber-optic cable. In this context, the equipment needed to send and receive data is not used. The fiber therefore remains completely unused. As a result, people often assume that Dark Fiber is simply a cable buried underground that doesn’t do much. However, that is certainly not the case. These cables allow you to create a connection between different locations. There is simply no active connection connected to it yet; your organization can set this up itself. There are two types of Dark Fiber that you can have installed:
- Multimode fiber: Multimode fibers are suitable for shorter distances at lower speeds. The equipment required for this is less expensive compared to that used for single-mode fiber. This is because LEDs or VCSELs are used instead of lasers. Multimode fibers often have poor transmission characteristics in the core due to light scattering. However, this does depend on the manufacturing process of the fibers. The core of multimode fibers has a large diameter. This results in multiple paths. Different wavelengths are used in a multimode fiber core.
- Single-mode fiber: Single-mode fiber is ideal for longer distances and higher speeds. In general, this type of fiber optic cable is the most popular among businesses. Single-mode connections can be transmitted using Coarse Wave Division Multiplexing (CWDM) equipment. This allows you to bridge distances of up to 200 kilometers. With the help of amplifier stations, you can even bridge even longer distances using these fiber-optic cables. Single-mode fibers have only a small core, which means they can transmit only a single beam of light. Only a single beam of light passes through the core of the fiber, so the light travels straight through the center. It does not reflect back off the outer surface of the core, as it does in a multi-mode fiber.
Benefits of Dark Fiber for Businesses
Now that you know what dark fiber is, what are the actual benefits for businesses that use it? Larger companies in particular—those that need a stable, reliable, secure, and scalable connection—benefit from this technology. Especially if they also want full control over their own network. Think, for example, of companies with multiple buildings on the same site, schools with multiple locations, collaborating hospitals or healthcare institutions, and smart energy and water networks. Below, we list the benefits of Dark Fiber for these types of companies!
1. Dark Fiber Provides Greater Scalability
If your business is growing rapidly, your connectivity needs will naturally increase as well. The advantage of dark fiber is that you have full control over the equipment you connect to your fiber-optic network. This allows you to scale up quickly and easily whenever necessary.
2. No bandwidth limits
With Dark Fiber, there is no limit to the bandwidth you can use. You decide which equipment to use and, therefore, what bandwidth you utilize. This technology allows you to achieve extremely high speeds if that is important for your business. With Dark Fiber, you can achieve speeds of many gigabits per second, ensuring optimal connectivity for network users.
3. Full control over your own network
When you use Dark Fiber, you build your own network from the ground up and, as a result, develop your own comprehensive network strategy. This is a major advantage for businesses because they make all strategic decisions regarding the design, management, and security of their network themselves. As a business, you also decide which service providers and vendors you want to partner with. This gives your business complete control over the management and maintenance of your network, as well as the budget and project costs!
4. A secure connection and greater privacy
Companies and organizations are required to protect their data to the fullest extent possible, as stipulated by the General Data Protection Regulation. By using a dark fiber network, your company can be certain that your network is not shared with anyone else. The network is truly 100% private, ensuring that you always comply with regulations. In addition, you can choose to implement additional encryption on your network. This is particularly recommended for organizations that handle sensitive data, such as banks or healthcare institutions.
5. Dark Fiber offers more opportunities for cloud-based work
Finally, dark fiber offers businesses more options for working in the cloud and creating backups. Many applications are currently hosted in the cloud, and many organizations also use cloud solutions to store their critical data. However, they often lack the network resources needed to work seamlessly with these services. Dark fiber is the ideal solution for this.
Conclusion
Dark Fiber is definitely more than just a cable buried underground. It gives your business or organization a great deal of freedom in managing your own network and connections, and offers many advantages in terms of security and scalability. Especially if your organization has multiple locations, Dark Fiber is highly recommended!