The term for a fiber optic rack that is currently not being used is called a dark fiber optic. Fiber optic cables that are functioning and have light signals travelling through them are called "lit" cables; hence if they are unused they are termed as "dark."

Alternatively, cables that are not used, as mentioned, would not contain any light pulses inside, so they are called dark fibers. The amount of dark fiber optics buried underground in the United States can span miles and miles.

The reason for such abundance is that back in the 1990s, companies laid down excessive amounts of cables underground. They considered the possibility of having to use more optic cables in the future, so they figured that they could refrain from the hassle of having to dig up the streets again and cause inconvenience just by packing extras in.

Because of this abundance in optics, the prices for these fibers have streamlined to a point where medium to big sized companies can afford them.

Every day, more and more businesses are realizing that buying and creating their own fiber network is more economical as opposed to leasing the same amount of fibers.

One industry that is currently grabbing this opportunity are banks. More and more of them are currently building their own networks. With this dark optic, they can accommodate heavy traffic which is a constant in their business.

Aside from banks, large campuses have been noted to be buying fiber optic by the bundles to create their own network. This just shows how reliable dark fiber optic is in creating and establishing a network, whether for public or private use.

The recent years have seen dark optic becoming a hot commodity among companies looking to establish and strengthen their telecommunications network. You will find several reasons why fiber technology is becoming a great solution when it comes to establishing your telecommunications system.