Executive Summary
As AI workloads, cloud-first strategies, and real-time services become business-critical, dark fibre gives organisations the infrastructure control they need to stay ahead. In this white paper, we unpack the modern commercial value of dark fibre and how industries—from financial services to healthcare—are turning unlit potential into competitive advantage. Zayo Europe’s pan-European network is purpose-built to support this shift, and offers unparalleled scalability, control, and future-proofing by enabling dedicated, high-performance optical pathways tailored to specific operational needs
Dark Fibre in Today’s Digital Economy
Dark fibre refers to optical fibre cables that are currently inactive or otherwise known as “unlit” cables. Businesses lease these strands and operate their own optical equipment, gaining end-to-end control over their network’s bandwidth, architecture, and security. It’s not about old-school telecom builds—it’s about future-proofing.
The convergence of AI, cloud computing, and digital services has transformed data into the most valuable asset for enterprises and governments. With exponential growth in bandwidth needs, traditional shared networks are reaching their limits. Dark fibre, which provides unlit, privately operated fibre optic infrastructure, allows organisations to future-proof their connectivity strategy.
Modern Business Drivers
Data is growing. So are expectations for real-time responsiveness and bulletproof uptime. Whether you’re training AI models, delivering 4K streaming, or moving sensitive records across borders, dark fibre puts performance back in your hands:
- Instant scalability with your own equipment upgrades
- Network privacy and compliance via dedicated fibre paths
- Low latency for real-time insights and transactions
- Long-term savings for high-bandwidth operations
Commercial Use Cases
| Industry | Use Case |
| Finance | Direct dark fibre between exchanges for ultra-low latency trading |
| Cloud & SaaS | Custom DCI (data centre interconnect) routes to hyperscale data centres and AI clusters |
| Media & Content | High-throughput paths for large-scale video production and distribution |
| Healthcare and Pharmaceutical | Secure fibre for imaging, patient data, remote diagnostics, and cross-border R&D |
| Retail | Real-time analytics, payment processing, and in-store tech enablement |
| Manufacturing | Edge connectivity for factory automation and industrial IoT |
Why Enterprises Are Making the Shift
- Autonomy: You decide what, how, and where you connect—on your terms
- Security: Physical separation = reduced exposure
- Performance: Latency, jitter, and bandwidth are yours to define
- Cost Certainty: Avoid bandwidth spikes and usage-based fees
- Cloud & AI Ready: Supports AI pipelines, edge inference, and massive storage access
Zayo Europe’s Role in Enabling the Future
Zayo Europe delivers dense, resilient dark fibre where it matters most—across the continent’s business, cloud, and data centre corridors.
What Sets Us Apart:
- 2.3M+ km of fibre connecting 600+ data centres across 17 metro markets in 8 countries
- Fully underground long-haul and metro network for maximum physical security
- Remote Fibre Test System (RFTS) for 24/7 fault detection and diagnostics
- In-Line Amplifier (ILA) site access so you can install, manage, and optimise your own optical layer
- Direct partnerships with data centre operators and network providers
- Support for 400G+ transmission, and future-focused investments in multi-core and hollow-core fibre
Conclusion: Fibre Built for Business
The invention of optical fibre dates back to 1952 but dark fibre isn’t a legacy product — it’s the new backbone for digital-forward industries. As enterprises architect for AI, edge computing, 5G, and real-time digital services, they need infrastructure that’s not just fast, but fully independent and self-owned.
With Zayo Europe, dark fibre becomes a tool for control, innovation, and advantage. With us you will have the advantage of partnering with a pan-European leading fibre infrastructure owner & operator, Tier 1 global carrier, and enjoy industry-leading service.