Dark Fiber Network Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Single Mode Fibre, Multimode Fibre), By Network (Metro, Long-haul), By Material (Glass, Plastic), By End User Industry (Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Telecommunication Industry, BFSI Industry, IT Enabled Services, Military and Aerospace Industry, Oil and Gas Industry) And Regional Forecast, 2024-2032

Dark fiber or unlit fiber are fiber optic cables that have not yet been put into operation by a provider or carrier in fiber optic communications (sometimes known as fiber). These cables are not linked to any optical equipment and are only present to be utilized at a later date. It's also known as a customer-owned or service-provider-owned new fiber construction project. Network service providers are leasing these idle fiber optic lines in the current market.

The telecommunications business was expanding in the late 1990s, and a lot of money was invested into establishing these fiber-optic networks. During that time, fiber networks, as well as motorways and rail lines, were aggressively laid down (i.e., long-haul network type). A thousand miles of local or regional network (i.e. metro network type) was also established throughout major cities and population centers. The telecom sector experienced a breakdown at the turn of the century, and telecom providers sold their billion-dollar underused fiber network (black fiber) infrastructures for a pittance in order to avoid bankruptcy.

Due to the growing demand for mobile data and the introduction of 5G services, telecom service providers are already purchasing available dark fiber and focusing on developing their own. Other factors such as the ever-increasing bandwidth demand of the handheld device user demographic and cable providers' obligatory migration to HD video quality are likely to fuel dark fiber network industry expansion over the next few years.

COVID-19's breakout and propagation have had a substantial impact on stakeholders in the dark fiber value chain. One of the primary factors driving the growth of the dark fiber market is the increasing deployment of 5G networks in ISPs and the telecommunications industry. However, due to various government-imposed restrictions, black fiber deployment has fallen dramatically around the world.

Key Players

AT&T Intellectual Property; Colt Technology Services Group Limited; Comcast; Consolidated Communications; GTT Communications, Inc.; Level 3 Communications, Inc. (CenturyLink, Inc.); NTT Communications Corporation; Verizon Communications, Inc.; Windstream Communications; Zayo Group, LLC and others are the major players in this market.

Regional Analysis

The dark fiber industry in North America is likely to be the most lucrative. Due to increasing demand for fiber networks in the ISP and telecommunications business, BFSI industry, IT enabled services, and military and aerospace industry, the region is projected to dominate the market. The existence of dark fiber providers such as AT&T Intellectual Property, GTT Communications, Inc., and others is also noteworthy.

The regional market grip is being strengthened by high technological penetration in the manufacturing sector and the expansion of the IT and telecom sectors across Asia Pacific. Furthermore, the growing use of fiber networks in the medical sector is accelerating expansion in nations like China, Japan, and India, boosting overall demand at a rapid pace.

Governments of developed countries in European region such as France, the United Kingdom, and Germany are investing extensively in national security infrastructure. Rapidly emerging economies that want to increase their position on the world stage are becoming more aware of the issue. This will eventually necessitate financing for technology, primarily via fiber networks, that will improve telecommunications.

Segmentation

Key Industry Developments

• In December 2020- Lumen edge compute was introduced by CenturyLink, Inc. to combine the company's extensive global fibre network, on-demand networking, and integrated security.


• In November 2018- Colt Technology Services Group Limited has reached an agreement with BITPoint Japan Co., Ltd., a cryptocurrency exchange service operator, to improve security, cut expenses and human resources required for system management, and increase efficiency.