Dark Fibre
Control optical transmission on fibre you light yourself.
Dark Fibre provides the fibre; optical equipment and operations stay with you. It fits teams able to own both; review the route, endpoints and managed alternative.
It entails greater technical responsibility; route, availability, maintenance and optics must be validated.
Let’s talk
How it works
Control the optical technology and the decisions that come with it.
Customer optics A
Unlit fibreCustomer optics BFibre is the medium; you provide the light
The fibre pair joins demarcation points without a lit transmission service by default. Customer optical equipment determines signal, capacity and protocols.
Calculate optical budget, distance and compatibility. Define ownership of transponders and line systems; compare managed Wave if you want to delegate that operation.
Customer optics AUnlit fibreCustomer optics BDetect degradation before a cut
Loss of margin, errors or alarms can originate in optics, connectors or fibre. Correlate equipment readings with fibre characterisation and demarcation.
Agree who measures and intervenes before replacing components. Colt lists fibre monitoring as an additional option, not something to assume is included.
Customer optics AUnlit fibreCustomer optics BA physical cut needs a physical alternative
Fibre repair and service continuity are different mechanisms. Continuing through a fault requires an alternative route and equipment able to use it.
Review ducts, building entry, power and maintenance. Two pairs in the same cable do not address a shared cable cut.
Illustrative case: from situation to decision
- Situation
- The team wants to choose and operate the optical technology between two centres.
- Option
- Consider dark fibre with the necessary staff and equipment; compare Wave to delegate transmission.
- Check
- Check optical budget, demarcation, power and incident handling at both endpoints.
Dark Fibre is neither IP service nor unlimited capacity: results depend on optical design and route.
Decisions for your project
- Demarcation
- Endpoints, connectors, route documentation and optical characterisation.
- Customer technology
- Optics, budget, compatibility and operations team.
- Continuity
- Diverse route, power, contracted monitoring and intervention plan.
From design to operation
Validate route and measurements, test intended equipment, and agree demarcation and maintenance arrangements.
Complements, alternatives and variants
Product sources
What challenge would you like to solve?
Tell us what is happening and what needs to change. You do not need to know the catalogue.
What happens next?
- Understand the context
What’s changing, where your teams work and what cannot fail. Still defining the brief? We can help structure it.
- Design the options
Bring needs, Colt capabilities and technical criteria together. Compare alternatives and explain dependencies and limits.
- Validate before committing
Coverage, feasibility, responsibilities and terms. A commercial proposal is developed with the relevant specialists.
ColtPlatinum guides the project and coordinates commercial discussions and follow-up. Colt validates feasibility, enters into the service contract, and provisions, installs and delivers the services.
Availability, coverage, capabilities, SLAs and timelines are subject to technical validation and contract. No diagram is a service guarantee.