Dark vs. Lit Fibre- Confused about which one to choose for your business?
Let us guide you.
Upgrading your business to a fiber network can help you add more operational efficiency and coordination that your business needs to flourish.
These days, networking is the basic need for a business model. Are you confused about which fiber networking is the best bet for your business?
Let us guide you about whether Dark fiber suits you best or Lit Fibre. Let’s dive in.
Lit Fibre & Dark Fibre- What are they?
Lit fiber is an already lit fiber leased from an ISP provider. A business’s service provider manages lit Fibre. You have to partner with them in order to maintain your networking through Lit Fibre. In this case, the fiber optic cables are Lit by the ISP provider, hence the name Lit Fibre. You get it for 2–5 years.
Dark fiber is a dark fiber leased from an ISP provider on a much longer term. It comes with a lot more responsibility and cost as you have to light the fiber independently. It is a private network as the business maintains it. You get it for 3–20 years.
When should you count on Lit Fibre?
If you don’t have the resources (staff and equipment) to ‘Light the fiber’ yourself, you should count on Lit Fibre. It is best if you prefer to have short-term leased fiber.
You have well-defined bandwidth needs. It doesn’t matter if they are high, as Lit Fibre can now manage up to 100 Gbps. It works perfectly for multi-location businesses as well. With a reliable and experienced business service provider, you get 24/7 access to engineers for maintenance and troubleshooting.
It is budget-friendly, and for certain businesses, more flexible and operational. Increasing competition in the ISP market gives you better and cheaper options for Lit Fibre.
When should you count on Dark Fibre?
If your bandwidth needs are low and undefined, you can go for Dark Fibre for a more controlled and private network. You should have a higher budget as Dark Fibre is leased for longer terms.
You should have the resources to maintain it, which includes engineers and equipment. You have to act like your own ISP. If you want to have a trading network with extremely low latency, you should go with Dark Fibre.
Dark Fibre is best for connecting a data center with real-time transmission links. If you want a private network due to the high-security needs of your business, Dark fiber is your best bet.
Bottom Line
The primary difference lies in how much control you want over the networking of your business. For more control, you will have to spend more on equipment and be more responsible. So your business needs, budget, and control define which fiber is best for you.
