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Dark-Fiber Network Services in the US Procurement Price, Data and Insights
Dark fiber (or fibre) refers to optical fibers that are in place but not currently in use. Wired telecom carriers, educational institutions, and financial institutions can lease these unused optical fibers to send data and information. Buyers can use dark-fiber network services to create their own private communication networks without depending on traditional telecommunication providers. Vendors are telecommunication companies that control their own dark-fiber network infrastructures. Large vendors invest in their own networks, while small vendors purchase excess dark fiber from larger carriers.
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What’s included in this market coverage
IBISWorld's research coverage on the Dark-Fiber Network Services procurement and pricing environment in the United States includes market dynamics, buyer power scores, supply chain vendors with pricing trends and forecasts.
About this Market
What’s this procurement report about?
This procurement coverage of the Dark-Fiber Network Services market in the United States includes Point-to-Point Configuration of Dark-Fiber, Ring Configuration of Dark-Fiber, Metropolitan Dark-Fiber Networks, Rural or Suburban Dark-Fiber Networks, Commercial Dark-Fiber Networks, Government Dark-Fiber Networks, Managed Dark-Fiber Services and Dark-Fiber Leases. Standard coding in this coverage includes ISIC-619-Other telecommunications activities, NACE-61.90-Other Telecommunications Activities, NAICS-517121-Telecommunications Resellers and UNSPSC-83112301-Dark fiber.
What common market terminology is included?
Common market terminology included in the Dark-Fiber Network Services procurement coverage includes Network Node (A connection point in a network, such as a server within a data center. Fiber optic networks provide buyers a connection point to various nodes, over which they transfer data.), Scalability (The ability of a network to continue to function well when its size or the volume of information passing through it has been changed.), Multiplexing Equipment (Equipment used to combine the signals transferred through the fiber optic network and pass it along to processing servers.), Lit Fiber (A fiber optic network that has been connected and is actively transmitting information.), Fiber Strands (Optically pure glass material that carries digital information over long distances. Each fiber optic cable within a fiber optic network contains multiple strands, which can each be separately leased to buyers.), Indefeasible Right of Use (IRU) (A contractual agreement between the operators of the dark-fiber network and a client. These agreements specify the number of channels and amount of bandwidth provided to the user.) and Long-Haul & Short-Haul Service Capabilities (Long-haul service capabilities allow the supplier to run dark-fiber systems between major cities. Short-haul service capabilities indicate that the dark-fiber network was installed for short distance use and purposes.).
What companies are included as top suppliers?
The top companies covered in the Dark-Fiber Network Services procurement report as suppliers are Frontier Communications Corporation, Duquesne Light Holdings Inc., Equinix, Inc., Charter Communications, Inc. and At&T Inc..
Opportunity Assessment
What’s included in the Opportunity Assessment chapter?
The Opportunity Assessment chapter provides a comprehensive market analysis of the Dark-Fiber Network Services market in the United States category, including buyer power scoring, market pricing trends, vendor landscape, cost structure, and strategic negotiation levers.
The market pricing trends include the Market Price (2026) per month per strand per mile, a five year price forecast and a supply chain risk score. Vendor coverage includes a market share and cost structure breakdown.
Analysis includes a comprehensive SWOT analysis of and recent developments impacting the Dark-Fiber Network Services market environment.
Buyer Power Score
What’s included in the Buyer Power Score chapter?
The Buyer Power Score chapter assesses key components impacting Dark-Fiber Network Services procurement including the recent price trend, forecast price trend, availability of substitutes, switching costs, product specialization, average vendor risk, market share concentration, supply chain risk, price driver volatility and recent price volatility.
These components generate a Buyer Power Score that ranges from -5 (strongly favoring sellers) to +5 (strongly favoring buyers) plus a recommended strategy for procurement specialists.
Price Environment
What’s included in the Price Environment chapter?
The Price Environment chapter covers detailed pricing analysis and datasets on Dark-Fiber Network Services market environment. This includes insights into market pricing Market Price (2026), price forecasts, volatility, specialization, substitutes and switching costs.
Datasets in the Price Environment chapter include vendor cost structure, breakdowns of wage rates by geography and specialty, key external economic and labor drivers impacting the market and market pricing models.
Supply Chain & Vendors
What’s included in the Supply Chain & Vendors chapter?
The Supply Chain & Vendors chapter covers the concentration, risk and diversity of the Dark-Fiber Network Services market. This includes datasets on the market’s top suppliers, detailed analysis on the key sourcing risks and supply chain dynamics, with environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations and scores.
Business Requirements
What’s included in the Business Requirements chapter?
The Business Requirements chapter covers vendor relationships, qualifications, service level agreements and key performance indicators. These inputs provide insight into the planning process through the buying lead time, vendor relationship and vendor qualifications. The sourcing process include key RFP elements like an organizational overview, project budget, selection criteria, project schedule, proposal format, inventory control, cost containment, regulation, quality control, distribution and key contract clauses.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current market price for Dark-Fiber Network Services?
The 2026 benchmark market price for Dark-Fiber Network Services is $719 per month per strand per mile. Prices have increased at a CAGR of 1.63 from 2023-26.
Who are the top vendors in the Dark-Fiber Network Services market?
The top vendors in the Dark-Fiber Network Services market include Frontier Communications Corporation, Duquesne Light Holdings Inc., Equinix, Inc., Charter Communications, Inc. and At&T Inc..
What industries supply the Dark-Fiber Network Services market?
The top industries supplying the Dark-Fiber Network Services market are Fiber-Optic Cable Manufacturing in the US, Glass Product Manufacturing in the US, Telecommunication Networking Equipment Manufacturing in the US, Semiconductor & Circuit Manufacturing in the US, Transmission Line Construction in the US and Construction & Mining Equipment Wholesaling in the US.
What is the supply chain risk for Dark-Fiber Network Services?
High market concentration limits buyer leverage and drives less favorable contract terms. The dark-fiber network services market is characterized by a very high level of market share concentration, as the top four firms account for more than 60.0% of total market revenue. This factor detracts from buyer power by making it more difficult for buyers to negotiate lower prices from vendors with strong brand-name recognition. Buyers should expect limited negotiation flexibility and should focus on maximizing value through detailed service-level agreements and exploring alternative network solutions to avoid overdependence on any single provider.
What factors affect the price of Dark-Fiber Network Services?
Point-to-point configurations tend to be less expensive due to their straightforward design and reduced complexity. Ring configurations cost more as they offer redundancy and resilience, requiring additional resources and infrastructure.
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