Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) is a technology that can enable the capacity of optical fibre to be expanded by adding and multiplexer and a demultiplexer at each end of the fibre. This enables different streams of data to be sent over a single optical fibre simultaneously. Simply put, WDM allows the light to be split…
Ethernet: What is it? And do I need it? Simply put, business Ethernet or carrier Ethernet is the most common type of connectivity used today, enabling high-bandwidth connectivity for businesses across the country. It comprises a fibre connection that runs from the network directly to your premise. Where previously Ethernet was only available in metro…
You’ve probably come across the term Ethernet First Mile, but what exactly is it? Ethernet First Mile (EFM) is a popular and affordable way for businesses to get easy, dedicated connectivity that delivers fibre-like connectivity using copper cables already in place and can enable speeds up to 30Mbps – dependent on the length of copper…
You’ll have heard of Dark Fibre, but just who ‘owns’ Dark Fibre and is it something you should invest in? Dark Fibre refers to unlit or ‘dark’ fibre optic cables that are leased from network service providers and carriers. Businesses use this Dark Fibre to create their own private optical network rather than leasing fixed…
Managed Wavelengths are high-capacity Point-to-Point (P2P) optical networks ranging in bandwidth from 1Gbps up to 100Gbps. As the name suggests this is leased by a business but managed by a network or service provider. The network or service provider will make use of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) to split the light in to its…
Until recently, Optical networks were hard to change. The routes traffic took were fixed and inefficient and bandwidth was not being optimised. That was until Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexers (ROADMs) came along. Before ROADMs, optical network operators have faced the challenge of extending and modifying their networks. A ROADM is a piece of software that…
Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) has been popular for a number of years now and is very good at providing robust and reliable connectivity as well as ensuring critical business information continues to flow, but it’s flexibility has also become a limiting factor. MPLS requires pre-determined A and B points and once the circuits are up…
Dark Fibre, as the name suggests, is unlit fibre optic which can be leased or purchased and to which a business then adds their own equipment to light in order to transmit data. Dark Fibre bandwidth is virtually infinite and is simply down to what technology the business chooses to use. Due to the high…
Ethernet private line (EPL) and Ethernet virtual private line (EVPL) are Ethernet services defined by the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) and fall under their Ethernet services category ‘E-Line’. Both EPL and EVPL Ethernet provide the simplicity of private connections combined with the flexibility and scalability of MPLS technology across a range of bandwidths, but the…
In this section we discuss Dark Fibre vs DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) and the benefits each can bring to your business. The need for Dark Fibre has been driven by a demand for dedicated and reliable, high-capacity, low-latency services. Dark fibre is, simply, an ‘unlit’ glass fibre strand with no equipment attached to it.…
MPLS can offer robust and reliable connectivity, yet Dark Fibre offers a level of network future-proofing that other means of connectivity can’t. Here we discuss the pros and cons of both. To start with, what is MPLS? Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a type of connectivity that is well known for ensuring reliable connectivity for…
There is a lot of conversation about fibre – but what exactly is the difference between dark fibre and lit fibre, and which one is right for you? There are several pros and cons for choosing either Dark Fibre vs Lit Fibre. Dark Fibre is simply a length of fibre optic cable which has no…
Here we review the difference between Dark Fibre vs Ethernet. Dark Fibre is as it sounds and refers to fibre that is unlit and unmanaged but owned or leased wholly by the business purchasing it whereas, Ethernet for business is where the bandwidth required is leased from a connectivity provider who manages the network. For…
Here we’ll discuss just what is Dark Fibre? A Dark Fibre network is essentially unused fibre optic cables with no service or traffic running on it – an unlit Point-to-Point connection. So how does Dark Fibre work? The actual fibre is leased or bought from a network owner or telecoms provider. Unlike Ethernet or lit-fibre…
