T1 Defined
Data T1 – Why is it so popular in business? A Data T1 is the basic “heavy lifter” of business services. A Data T1 is the oldest form of data circuits offered by the original telephone companies. It is supported by copper wires to your business and it can be installed in just about any location that has current telephone service (wire-line v. wireless). Many other high speed Internet offerings have restrictions on distance from the telephone office or Point of Presence (POP), ability to boost the signal, latency and available facilities. A Data T1 is like a tank that can go anywhere.
How big is a Data T1? Big – is normally defined by bandwidth or speed. The factors involved are speed of response, number of employees supported simultaneously, cost per desk top, rated “up-time” of the service and average time to maintenance repair. All of these are the factors to be compared to consumer services like DSL, Cable Modem, Dial Up Service and any other service that is not dedicated to your business location. A standard Data T1 will provide 1.5 megs of bandwidth and this means 1.5 megs for upload as well as download. A T1 is dedicated to your business and is not shared with other customers so you will always get a consistent 1.5 megs for uploads and downloads.
Do we need more than 1.5 megs of bandwidth? It depends. Are you getting employee complaints of Internet response? Does your Internet access seem to slow down when many employees are in the office? These are a couple indicators of a need for more bandwidth. There really are very few Internet access problems that can’t be solved with an increase in bandwidth BUT more bandwidth costs more money!! We can help with our “Instant Quote”. The quote will allow your company to see prices at your business location. Most importantly, the quote will allow you to compare all services side by side and make the decision of “price versus performance”. A Data T1 delivers 1.5 megs but we can put multiple T1s together for 3.0 megs, 4.5 megs, 6.0 megs and all the way up to 12.0 megs. These services are called Bonded T1s and as the numbers indicate – the higher the number the higher the available bandwidth.
We can show your company many more high capacity/bandwidth solutions and we can compare them on our “Instant Quote”. Your business location will determine what services are available because all services are not available in all locations. As a rule – the closer you are to the center of a larger city – the more options you have available. Conversely, the further you are from a city center – the less options you have available. T1 or T Carriers services can be installed almost anywhere.
Bonded T1s and more…. T3, DS3, OC3, Ethernet. Most areas have support for Bonded T1s up to 12.0 megs but the price can become substantial. Above about 6.0 megs, the most cost effective (good) service is normally Ethernet or Metro Ethernet. The problem for companies not in the city centers is availability. If it is available – it will be less expensive. Our “Instant Quote” will show you if it is or if it isn’t available and how the cost compares.
A Data T3 and a Data DS3 have the same capacity. Each of these services support 28 T1s and the total bandwidth delivered is just under 45 megs – precisely it is 44.736 megs. These services are also available in most business locations and they are the answer to more bandwidth if needed. If your company doesn’t need that much bandwidth – we can quote you a fractional T3 or DS3.
The pricing is the determining factor on full DS3 or fractional. There is a “crossover point” on price. The first step is with Bonded T1s – there is a point where it is less expensive to move up to a fractional T3 or DS3 v. Bonded T1s. Then there is another crossover point from a fractional T# or DS3 to the full circuit.