Dark Fibre vs Leased Bandwidth: Which Is Right for Your Network?
When you need high-capacity connectivity between two sites, you can either lease bandwidth from a carrier or take dark fibre — the unlit glass — and light it yourself. Both are valid; the right choice depends on how much capacity you need and how much control you want.
Leased bandwidth
The carrier owns and operates the optical equipment and sells you a fixed capacity — 1, 10 or 100 Gbps. It is simple, the carrier handles the transmission layer, and you pay for what you use. But every upgrade means a new order, a new price and often new hardware from the carrier.
Dark fibre
You get a pair of fibres end to end, usually on a lease or IRU (indefeasible right of use) for a long term. You install your own optics or DWDM equipment. Capacity is limited only by that equipment: upgrading from 10 to 100 Gbps — or adding dozens of wavelengths — is a hardware change on your side.
When dark fibre makes sense
- You need 10 Gbps or more today and expect growth
- Data-centre interconnect with storage replication and low latency
- You want full control of encryption, protocols and upgrade timing
- ISPs and operators building their own backbone
Things to plan for
- Optical loss budget over the route distance
- Route diversity — two pairs on the same duct share the same risk
- Who maintains the fibre and how fast cuts are repaired
Ubixe Infotech provides dark fibre and builds new aerial and underground routes. See our Dark Fiber & Aerial Fiber service or request a route study.
