Fiber optic is a connection technology that enables very high bandwidths and therefore serves as a future-proof basis for the current wave of digitalization and the transition to the cloud. It is also more sustainable, secure and reliable than other network technologies. That’s why more and more companies are finding their way to our business-specific fiber optic offering. A solution often remains undiscovered, both literally and figuratively: “Dark Fiber”. However, in some environments this is the ideal solution.

What is Dark Fiber?

Dark fiber is literally a “dark”, i.e. unexposed, glass fiber. Anyone who buys or rents dark fiber only receives the fiber optic connection itself, without devices for lighting and controlling the fiber optic. This is entirely up to the customer. The selection of devices determines which bandwidth is used for which applications. This bandwidth can then be continuously adapted to changing needs.

So dark fiber is little more than a long fiber optic cable laid between different locations and branches of an organization, after which the customer is responsible for connecting to their own infrastructure, lighting the fiber and managing the connection. Once exposed, the fiber can transport large amounts of data at high speeds (up to more than 400 Gbit/s) over long distances.

Dark fiber can be used both for data transport over long distances (WAN), for example to connect different locations that are far apart from each other, and for data transport over short distances (LAN), for example to connect different locations that are very close to one another to each other. Lying together. We’ll then talk about it Singlemode fiber And Multimode fiber.

Why choose dark fibers?

Dark fibers have various technical and practical advantages. Of course, it also offers the connectivity, speed and availability you expect from a traditional fiber optic connection. What else can dark fiber offer companies?

Dark fiber guaranteed optimal flexibility. You make the important decisions about lighting, setting up, managing and securing the network yourself. You choose the service providers you want to work with, so there is no provider lock-in (this generally applies to all Eurofiber solutions). Individual adjustment is possible at any time and you turn the buttons yourself, making it easier to find the optimal configuration for your organization. Or to put it in the words of a well-known DIY enthusiast: “If you do it yourself, you usually do it better.”

With Dark Fiber you also have enormous scalability.

Tony Viaene, Solutions Architect Eurofiber Belgium

With dark fiber you also have one enormous scalability. You largely determine the speed and bandwidth yourself by choosing the specific devices and providers. And you can scale it more easily and cost-effectively.

Dark Fiber also offers a higher level of privacy and security because the fiber connection is entirely dedicated to your business (we call this “dedicated fiber”). You do not share the connection with other parties and exercise full control over the use and configuration of your (own) devices. For example, you can encrypt all IP traffic on your network. This is in contrast to shared fiber solutions (GPON), where the fiber is shared between different users, making privacy and security less assured.

For example, if the dark fiber connection between different branches of your organization or individual data centers is of utmost importance for the functioning of the organization, you can opt for a ring network. This ensures redundancy and ensures the always-on principle. If traffic cannot go counterclockwise, it should go clockwise.

Dark fiber: no light assignment

If dark fiber offers so many advantages over traditional fiber optic connections, why isn’t everyone choosing it? In short: because most organizations have too little knowledge about it. At Dark Fiber you are responsible for the lighting, equipment and furniture as well as for integration into the existing IT landscape. This is no small responsibility, as certain technologies are subject to strict regulations. Not without reason, considering that a direct look at a cable illuminated like this can make you completely blind.

In addition, you also ensure management and tracking so that the connection continues to function properly. This means that the necessary knowledge must be available in-house. Most companies cannot afford to acquire this knowledge in-house. And overall this also results in certain costs. For those who are primarily looking for security in terms of connectivity, an illuminated fiber optic connection remains the most interesting option.

So?

For those wondering if Dark Fiber is for them, it is undoubtedly a larger company with multiple locations and great attention to the importance of connectivity. When do you really benefit from dark fiber? This is ultimately a question of consideration. When full control over the connection as well as optimal flexibility and scalability are important, dark fiber is a highly suitable option and investment. For organizations that are primarily looking to provide relief, an active or illuminated fiber optic connection may be a better choice. But of course the middle ground is also possible: For example, you can contact us for a dark fiber solution for a completely private connection, for which we take over the management.

This is a post by Tony Viaene, Solutions Architect at Eurofiber Belgium. Click here to learn more about the company’s solutions.