While technologies like 5G are making Internet service faster than ever, many rural communities still need to catch up. Not only does the digital divide continue to exist, but that divide continues to widen as technology advances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About 38% of Americans<\/a> living in rural areas lack access to reliable, high-performance broadband \u2014 34 million people. If they have broadband, connectivity comes at a much higher cost than in urban centers. They\u2019re often reliant on satellite or DSL connections, which are slower and less reliable, which means these communities are left behind when it comes to remote work, education, and healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Telecommunications carriers are an essential part of the solution in bridging this digital divide. But the problem isn\u2019t a lack of interest from carriers or their customers. Conditions in many of these rural areas make it difficult and expensive to lay fiber optic cable. Despite these challenges, opportunities and solutions exist for network expansion in rural areas that will benefit carriers and customers alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For last-mile carriers and Internet service providers (ISPs), one of the biggest hurdles they face is the cost of building out infrastructure over vast distances \u2014 often without pre-existing infrastructure \u2014 to service areas with low population density. It\u2019s hard to justify the investment without the economies of scale. So, it typically means passing the costs on to customers, making broadband connectivity prohibitively expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Building out this infrastructure isn\u2019t cheap, either. The cost of laying fiber increases dramatically if you have to cross lakes, forests, and mountains. It\u2019s also hard to maintain these networks since they\u2019re so expansive \u2013 there isn\u2019t always going to be a skilled technician just a quick drive away if there\u2019s an issue. That\u2019s why bringing broadband connectivity to rural areas has historically been cost-prohibitive for both carriers and<\/em> consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fiber optics offer high speed and reliable connectivity, though carriers often face challenges in rural deployment. A potential solution is middle mile connectivity through dark fiber<\/a>. Dark fiber is just that: a dark service. Zayo\u2019s dark fiber solutions offer carriers complete control over their environment, without having to build or maintain the infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is not a bolt-on service. It\u2019s not something that we add on after the fact,\u201d says Nias Battle, Senior Vice President of Zayo. \u201cDark fiber from the beginning of Zayo has been a key and core component of our service offering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nUnderstanding the challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Technologies paving the way<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n