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Dark Fibre vs DWDM

  • Neos Networks
Dark Fibre vs DWDM

 

In this section we discuss Dark Fibre vs DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) and the benefits each can bring to your business.

What is Dark Fibre?

The need for Dark Fibre has been driven by a demand for dedicated and reliable, high capacity, low latency services. 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. Providing a dedicated connection affords a greater level of security as the fibre only has that business’ data traversing, meaning Dark Fibre is a good choice for those businesses dealing with sensitive information such as financial services and government bodies. It’s important to note though that the security of the technology and protocols put on that fibre is entirely dependent on the business to maintain.

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What is Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM)?

As the demand for Dark Fibre and capacity has increased, Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) has been an important component. This involves multiplexing of multiple virtual fibres – that is, the splitting out the colours of the infrared spectrum using laser transmitters tuned to each colour wavelength – meaning more data can be sent via a single fibre at the same time thus increasing bandwidth.

Dark Fibre vs DWDM

DWDM would typically be used on a core network where huge capacity is required as each pair of fibres could transmit up to 80 channels of 100Gbps wavelengths. DWDM is also able to reach greater distances – up to 80km but could be as far as 1000km with amplification of the signal.

DWDM is a good choice for businesses dealing with large data volumes, such as eCommerce and Media, and those Service Providers who manage customers where dedicated connectivity and high bandwidth is a must.

An important difference to note between purchasing Dark Fibre vs DWDM services is that a Dark Fibre provider requires businesses to deploy their own equipment at each end and manage the fibre capacity, security as well as the equipment maintenance. When purchasing a DWDM service the provider manages the capacity on the fibre as well as the optical equipment. This affects the cost of the network significantly and would be based on whether the business has the necessary IT resource and expertise in place to manage the network and just what the business priorities are when choosing connectivity options.

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Total control, near limitless capacity

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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.