Dark fiber optics may sound mildly sinister but in fact they are merely fiber optic cables which are currently not in use, or unlit. While a fiber optic cable in use by someone leasing it may still be referred to as dark fiber that may be because they have no specific long term use and may return to unused status as soon as the lease expires.
Dark fiber optics are everywhere and while companies do plan for redundancy, there are more miles of dark optics than mere redundancy can account for. Two major factors caused this glut of fiber optics. The first factor was that many optimistic companies laid miles of fiber optic cables with the intention of becoming the dominant telecommunication provider in their area. Business was booming and expected to continue to boom past the 1990s as far as data communication went and these companies built enough of these lines to cover the needs of their area many times over.
Data traffic did not continue to grow as predicted and also the development of technology to increase the carrying capacity of fiber optic lines further reduced the demand for new lines. Some companies went bankrupt because millions of dollars had been invested in this projected growth. Some companies survived the fiasco by simply struggling through it and taking the losses, but the market was by then full of unlit optics.
The practice of leasing these unlit fiber optic lines has become increasingly more commonplace. However the supply of unused optics far outstripped any demand for them, at least until recently. Just as a square block or more of vacant houses will eventually draw investors who see the potential, so have these unused lines drawn companies who feel there is potential in the market or believe now it the time to create their own network.
In the beginning of the optic boom these unlit lines were rarely leased and almost never sold. However internal trading could and did take place. As the market became glutted it became more commonplace to lease them to organizations. Recently there has been noticeable trend toward purchasing sometimes thousands of miles of this unlit line. A well known cable and data provider purchased more than twenty eight hundred miles of unlit optics to further expand their network. A coop of universities and research facilities have purchased large blocks of unused lines recently.
Interest has begun to revive in unlit but fully usable lines and it is obvious many corporations are moving toward getting their share, while it is still at rock bottom prices. A big name in the search engine industry has posted a job which calls for an individual skilled in negotiation and recognition, and selection of dark fiber optics contracts. This has stirred a lot of speculation as to what the future might hold for this company and others.
While there are still many miles of unclaimed Dark Fiber, this situation may not last long. Speculators and companies with big plans for the future may move in and take as much as they can find. Whether it is good business or bad business, it is certainly a forward looking strategy.
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