Network news

Regional communities are embracing dark fibre to boost business connectivity.

Dubbo Regional Council is using dark fibre to vastly improve its business efficiency and office connectivity.

The fibre-optic telecommunications technology is a way for the council to securely connect its multiple remote offices and depots, providing near unlimited bandwidth and performance.

Dubbo Regional Council is one of several councils in New South Wales embracing the dark fibre option on offer from Essential Energy, which uses the energy distributor’s existing infrastructure.

Council’s Chief Information Officer Matthew Green says the fibre network is well supported by Essential Energy with prompt response times to any faults and queries.

"Essential Energy dark fibre has significantly improved our connectivity infrastructure. With dark fibre, our connections to remote offices are now more reliable, lightning-fast and lower maintenance,” Matthew explains.

“Dark fibre has become the backbone of our connectivity infrastructure, providing us with unparalleled speed, security, and simplicity.”

Dubbo Regional Council is also using the technology for its Safety Camera Network, which consists of more than 100 ultra-high-definition cameras throughout the central business district (CBD).

“Dark fibre technology is a key contributor to making Dubbo’s CBD a safer place for the community,” Matthew says.

Essential Energy’s Head of Commercial Infrastructure Mark Beasley says dark fibre enables greater levels of data delivery and provides faster and more reliable communication options for customers.

“Essential Energy has deployed more than 1550 kilometres of fibre across its network. More than 50 per cent of the dark fibre cores are available for utilisation by customers across our network,” Mark says.

What is dark fibre?

Dark fibre telecommunications technology is by no means new – it’s been around for about 20 years.

It's called 'dark' because the fibre-optic cables don’t carry a light signal. Dark Fibre provides maximum control and flexibility to create your own high-capacity network with almost limitless scalability.

Metaphorically, it’s like driving by yourself on a highway with no cars, traffic jams or accidents.

Dark fibre also reduces operational maintenance and complexities associated with traditional networking solutions, while providing far greater security.

With Point 2 Point (P2P) connections, dark fibre has simplified Council’s network security layer, safeguarding sensitive data and mitigating risks associated with traditional communication infrastructure.

Dubbo Regional Council’s Chief Information Officer Matthew Green with the dark fibre network. Photo: Supplied by Dubbo Regional Council.