As companies expand, they often reach a point where traditional telecom services fall short. This leads IT departments to consider purchasing or leasing dark fiber for enhanced bandwidth, latency, and control. However, there’s another option worth exploring: managed wavelength services.

In simple terms, a wavelength is a distinct color or lambda on a fiber optic strand. Fiber optic lines transmit multiple light beams simultaneously, with each color representing a unique wavelength or frequency of laser light. These different colors allow the light beams to coexist within the fiber without interference, similar to separate wire pairs in a copper bundle or channels in a cable system.

Multiple wavelengths enhance efficiency. Transmitting and receiving multiple lambdas is much more cost-effective than laying thousands of miles of fiber optic cable. Each cable contains numerous strands, and each strand carries multiple wavelengths, resulting in a massive bandwidth capacity for commercial use.

This technology is called Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM). The “dense” signifies that numerous wavelengths are closely spaced on the fiber. DWDM terminal equipment demands precise control over the light wavelengths, adhering to an International Telecommunications Union (ITU) standard for industry-wide compatibility. A single fiber strand can support up to 160 channels or wavelengths within the infrared C and L bands.

Companies with high bandwidth requirements can lease entire wavelengths from carriers who own fiber optic networks. Integra Telecom, for instance, offers wavelength services on their metropolitan and long-haul fiber optic network. A key advantage of wavelengths is protocol flexibility. Integra provides both traditional SONET Interface options at speeds of 2.5 Gbps and 10 Gbps, as well as Ethernet Interface options at 1 GigE and 10 GigE.

Unlike dark fiber, where you manage all terminal equipment, or unmanaged wavelengths with limited carrier support, Integra’s managed wavelength services provide a comprehensive solution. This includes terminal equipment, 24/7 network monitoring, and alarm surveillance from their Network Operations Center (NOC).

The result is a highly dependable, high-bandwidth, low-latency point-to-point optical wavelength service suitable for both long-haul and metropolitan connections. Integra boasts a 5,000-mile high-speed long-haul network, metro services in major Western US cities, and connections to Chicago, New York City, Ashburn, VA, and Dallas. Their 3,000-mile metro access network spans 35 markets across 11 Western states, connecting over 1900 buildings with fiber. Businesses in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, or Washington can all leverage Integra’s robust fiber optic network and wavelength services.

Wavelength services are particularly well-suited for businesses requiring robust business continuity and disaster recovery solutions, Ethernet transport, optical storage connectivity, or data storage connectivity. Organizations with multiple data centers often require the high capacity that wavelengths provide.

To determine if wavelengths are a good fit for your telecom needs, request competitive quotes for managed wavelength services from Integra and other leading carriers.

Note: Image of light spectrum from prisms courtesy of Marcellus Wallace on Wikimedia Commons.