Dark Fibre UK | Nationwide Network | Neos Networks

Dark Fibre

Our extensive Dark Fibre network provides complete flexibility with near limitless capacity.

Dark Fibre refers to unused fibre optic cables that businesses can fully control, allowing you to choose your own protocols and manage your own equipment. It offers unlimited capacity and ensures that your data is the only data on the cable, providing a secure and dedicated network ideal for high-capacity needs.

To make setting up a private Dark Fibre network more affordable, we use existing cables from our network and third parties. This approach reduces the need for new construction by connecting existing routes over short distances, ensuring high reliability with careful monitoring.

Why Dark Fibre?

Unlike managed fibre services, Dark Fibre gives maximum control over your network:

Specification
Choose from G652 or G655 fibre specifications.
Scalability
You control the capacity, making it easy to scale based on your business needs.
Flexibility
Select your own routes and decide between dedicated or shared lines, with options for dedicated ducts and sub-ducts. Customise the technology and pathways to fit your needs.
Design criteria
Specified criteria for optical performance characteristics available.
Dedicated routes
We provide a range of routing options tailored to your business needs. Even if our network isn’t already in place, we have multiple ways to get you connected.
SLAs
Custom SLAs for service restoration and fault diagnosis.

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Dark Fibre FAQs

Take a look at our FAQs for Dark Fibre

  • What is Dark Fibre?

     

    A Dark Fibre network is essentially unused fibre optic cables with no service or traffic running on it – an unlit Point-to-Point connection. Unlike Ethernet or lit-fibre services, if you purchase the Dark Fibre, you will also need to deploy and manage the equipment needed to light it. You can find out more about what is Dark Fibre here and how it enables businesses to take control of their IT estate.

  • Who owns Dark Fibre?

     

    Businesses use Dark Fibre to create their own private optical network rather than leasing fixed bandwidth enabling businesses to control their own network. You’ll have heard of Dark Fibre, but just who owns Dark Fibre and is it something you should invest in?

  • How fast is Dark Fibre?

     

    Due to the high costs associated with Dark Fibre it would make the most sense to get the most capacity you can from the fibre. The question most people ask is how fast is Dark Fibre? Dark Fibre is virtually infinite and is simply down to what technology the business chooses to use.

  • Dark Fibre vs Lit Fibre

     

    There is a lot of conversation about fibre – but what exactly is the difference between Dark Fibre and Lit Fibre, and which one is right for you? There are several pros and cons for choosing either Dark Fibre vs Lit Fibre.

  • Dark Fibre vs MPLS

     

    To start with, what is MPLS? Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a type of connectivity that is well known for ensuring reliable connectivity for real-time applications and Quality of Service (QoS) to keep critical business information flowing. High-availability MPLS offers support for services such as VoIP, virtual desktops, video conferencing and cloud applications and guarantees no loss of quality.

    MPLS can offer robust and reliable connectivity, yet Dark Fibre offers a level of network future-proofing that other means of connectivity can’t. We discuss the pros and cons of both Dark Fibre vs MPLS here.

  • Dark Fibre vs Ethernet

     

    Dark Fibre is as it sounds and refers to fibre that is unlit and unmanaged but owned or leased wholly by the business purchasing it whereas, Ethernet for business is where the bandwidth required is leased from a connectivity provider who manages the network. Here we address the differences between Dark Fibre vs Ethernet.

  • Dark Fibre vs Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM)

     

    Dark Fibre is, simply, an unlit glass fibre strand with no equipment attached to it. This gives businesses the option of using any protocol of their choice and their own equipment, whilst safe in the knowledge that only their traffic travels across that fibre strand. In this section we discuss Dark Fibre vs DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) and the benefits each can bring to your business.

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