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Dark Fiber, You Can Hear A Pin Drop

A portion of the fiber optics system that is not being used is called dark fiber. The fiber optics network was built in the 1990s. In the late 1990s it was discovered that the real cost of building the fiber optics network was the installation of the cable and not the cable itself. Fiber optics offered a great advantage over former ways of transmitting information over copper wires. Perhaps you remember the commercials that said “You can hear a pin drop.”

Due to the fact that cable size had little effect on the cost of installation of fiber optics, telecommunications companies, in planning for the future installed cables much larger that were actually need at the time.

Electrical power companies also got into the act, placing fiber optics cables along side electrical lines during installation with the hope of eventually selling the fiber optic fibers to telecommunications companies.

The fiber optics network was over built. This has lead to many fibers in the network that are currently not in use. In fact there are many fibers that have never been used. A fiber that is in use transmits light pulses and is called lit fiber. A fiber that is not in use is called dark fiber.

Early in the development of the fiber network, telephone companies did not sell their dark fiber. It was looked upon as money in the bank for the future. As it became apparent that the fiber network was being overbuilt, dark fiber began to sell at the rate of 1200 dollars per mile. Currently, the price is 200 dollars per mile due to the excess dark fiber available.

This drop in price of dark fiber has started many people and industries to begin to investigate the use of those fibers.

Universities have shown interest in the use of dark fiber. It would allow libraries and other resources to be interconnected. Classes could also be taught in distance learning centers. This may be an answer to the budget crisis of many universities.

Other suggestions include connecting scientist to national laboratories, where they could manipulate equipment by use of computers over what is currently dark fiber.

The current president of the United States has called for centralized medical records. Dark fiber could be used to develop a secure information system that would allow doctors and hospitals access to this record system.

Banks have also expressed an interest in dark fiber as a secure network that could avoid being hacked.

Perhaps, once again, you can hear a pin drop.