The difference between lit fiber and dark fiber lies in your desire to have total control over your network. For most businesses, lit fiber solutions and the ability to partner with a fiber service provider to maintain and support their network connection is the preferred choice. However, if your business requires a completely private — “dark” — connection and has the resources to operate and maintain it, a dark fiber network is an excellent solution.
What is Lit Fiber?
Lit fiber connections are established, managed and maintained by a business’s service provider — and are the most commonly used fiber solutions. Examples of lit fiber include Dedicated Internet Access, Point-to-MultiPoint and Managed Wave. Whether a business has one location or several, a lit fiber connection delivers the flexibility of scalable speeds that can grow with your business, 24/7 access to NOC engineers to assist with troubleshooting and maintenance, and the reliability of an expert partner to manage a vital component of your business — your network.
What is Dark Fiber?
Conversely, Dark Fiber is a customized, private network that is secure, scalable and exclusive to a respective customer. Simply put, when the connection is “dark,” your business is in control. This built-to-suit option provides nearly unlimited bandwidth to two or more locations with dedicated Dark Fiber, allowing a customer full ownership to design, light, manage and control their network. It also can be used in conjunction with a lit fiber connection.
To learn more about Everstream’s solutions, visit our Fiber Services page.