Dark Fibre

We design and build dark fibre networks to put you in control of your future success.

ITS can provide industry sector customers with the ability to extend their footprint, through purpose-built dark fibre infrastructure. 

Dark fibre allows the creation of private networks. Unlike Ethernet or lit-fibre services, with infrastructure you have complete control over the equipment you deploy to activate your dedicated network. 

They are often contracted on extended terms and link a network operator’s sites or POPs (Points of Presence) together, rather than linking end-customer locations to POPs. 

ITS has a strong heritage of dark fibre networks, which was further bolstered in 2022 by its acquisition of infrastructure specialist NextGenAccess. Built for a range of customers, existing users on our network include Network Operators, Data Centres, Local and Central Governments, and major corporations. 

Several successful projects have been completed to date, including, a 67km route from Bristol to Europe’s largest data centre campus, Vantage CWL-1. Another worthy mention is the 230km ultrafast network built in collaboration with MLL Telecom, connecting five local authorities in the Association of South Essex Local Authorities (ASELA). 

As dark fibre specialists, all our projects are designed and tailored to meet specific needs. ITS will review any request and undertake dedicated design, build-planning and delivery. Our flexible team focuses on great design and a low-cost base, making us an ideal choice to work with.

Dark Fibre Connect Services

Access Connect provides a single, point to point, dark fibre connection between a service provider’s point of presence (PoP) either within a BT Exchange or Data Centre and its customer’s premises.

The connection is established using our spine and spur fibre network and is available at premises situated within 100m of our fibre spines.

Features

  • Unrestricted – Access Connect offers a dedicated passive point to point dark fibre connection that is uncontended and symmetrical. It presents service providers with an opportunity to extend their Layer 2 and Layer 3 services unrestricted, from their PoP to their customer’s premises using active technology of their choice.
  • Single or multi-tenant – Access Connect provides service providers with a cost effective future proof bearer service that enables them to connect single or multiple customers within the same building.
  • Secure and reliable – Backed by a 24 x 7 NOC and an 8-hour repair SLA.

A shared or dedicated, single or multi-fibre, connection between existing carrier network nodes. Carrier Connect can be used to extend the network of a single carrier or interconnect the networks of multiple carriers.

Features

  • Custom built – Designed and built to meet specific diversity and low latency requirements.
  • Secure and reliable – Uses deep level ducting and all joints are established within separate stand-off chambers. Comprehensive asset inventory greatly reduces the risk of ducts being damaged by developers, backed by a 24 x 7 NOC and an 8-hour repair SLA.

A shared or dedicated, single or multi-fibre, connection between Data Centres and/or carrier network nodes.

We work closely with Data Centre operators to create passive, carrier neutral Points of Presence within their sites. Once established, we can significantly reduce the time and costs for carriers and hyperscalers wishing to establish a presence within the Data Centres.

Features

  • Custom built – Designed and built to meet the specific diversity and security requirements of each Data Centre operator.
  • Flexible – Passive Point of Presence can be extended anywhere within the campus via cross connects. Additional fibres can be commissioned within days.
  • Secure and reliable – Uses deep level ducting and all joints are established within separate stand-off chambers. Comprehensive asset inventory greatly reduces the risk of being compromised by developers – Backed by a 24 x 7 NOC and an 8-hour repair SLA.

Small Cell Connect provides a single, point to point, dark fibre connection between a mobile operator’s Baseband Unit (BBU) Hotel or aggregation node and the street furniture supporting the connected Remote Radio Units (RRU).

The connection is established using our spine and spur fibre network and is available at sites situated within 100m of our fibre spines.

Features

  • Unrestricted – Small Cell Connect offers a dedicated passive point to point dark fibre connection that is uncontended and symmetrical. It is ideally suited to meet the high bandwidth and low latency fronthaul requirements of Cloud RAN architectures.
  • Compact – Its small footprint makes it ideal for space constrained doner structures such as lighting columns Multi-fibre options enable multiple operators to be supported from a single structure.
  • Secure and reliable – Backed by a 24 x 7 NOC and an 8-hour repair SLA.

Public Sector Connect enables local and combined authorities to use grant funding in a highly effective way to create full fibre networks that can be used by service providers to deliver Ultrafast connections to schools, GP surgeries hospitals and blue light providers.

Features

  • Open access – Full fibre infrastructure that can be used by any service provider to provide Ultrafast and managed services to public sector bodies, local businesses, and consumers.
  • Open architecture – Latest spec dark fibre enables service providers to deliver layer 2 and 3 services using the technology and vendors of their choice.
  • Custom built – Designed and built to meet the specific diversity and security requirements of each combined/local authority.
  • Future proof – Designed to interconnect, where possible, BT Exchanges, Data Centres, and carrier aggregation nodes to make it easy for service providers to establish new regional Points of Presence (PoP) in the future.
  • Secure and reliable – Backed by a 24 x 7 NOC and an 8-hour repair SLA.