What is lit fiber?

• Lit fiber is fiber-optic infrastructure that transmits data via pulses of light over cable comprised of thin strands of glass or plastic.
• In contrast to “dark fiber,” which refers to fiber-optic infrastructure that is not in use, lit fiber refers to fiber-optic infrastructure that is currently in service and providing large bandwidth connections for high-speed Internet or data services.
   

With the rise of fiber-optic technology, the term “lit fiber” is frequently used to describe business offerings for high-speed connectivity. But what is lit fiber exactly, and what benefits can it provide the enterprise?

Here’s a short tutorial on “What is lit fiber?” and the business advantages it offers.

What is lit fiber?

Lit fiber is fiber-optic technology that is actively available to transmit data and provide high-speed Internet connectivity.

What is lit fiber intended to achieve?

Fiber-optic cables are comprised of thin strands of glass or plastic which can transmit data as pulses of light. Lit fiber connections can carry data at much faster speeds than traditional copper cables, which use slower electrical signals. Consequently, lit fiber enables organizations to provide data-intensive applications, cloud applications and other bandwidth-hungry infrastructure with the speed they require.

What is lit fiber vs. dark fiber?

Dark fiber simply refers to fiber-optic infrastructure that is not in use or managed by a service provider. Dark fiber leasing enables organizations to monitor and maintain their own fiber network, while a lit fiber lease provides a turnkey service where the service provider monitors and maintains equipment for the fiber network.

What is lit fiber’s advantage?

Lit fiber provides a fully managed service – the customer is not required to purchase, maintain or operate the equipment required to manage a fiber network. Lit fiber reduces the administrative and technical burden on IT teams and eliminates capital expense.

What is lit fiber’s drawback?

Changes and adjustments to a lit fiber lease can take time, sometimes up to 90 days. And upgrading bandwidth may result in a higher monthly charge.

What is lit fiber from Spectrum Enterprise?

Spectrum Enterprise provides fiber Internet access, fiber voice solutions and fiber TV technology for many of America’s largest businesses. With thousands of fiber route miles and lit fiber buildings nationwide, we provide dedicated, high-performance connections for bandwidth-intensive applications, with availability and bandwidth including service-level agreements (SLAs) guaranteeing 100% uptime.¹ Our lit fiber services provide bandwidth that can scale up to 100 Gbps as business requirements evolve.

¹100% uptime SLA guarantee applies only to Dedicated Fiber Internet, Secure Dedicated Fiber Internet, Ethernet Services, Cloud Connect and Enterprise Trunking.