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Dedicated Internet Access, T1-DS3/ OC3-192
A T1 connection is the most
popular method for Internet access among businesses. T1 service is fast and
reliable - most providers can guarantee 99.99% uptime - and features increased
security.
T1 service is symmetrical
connection, allowing for downloads and uploads of up to 1.5 Mbps, which is about
30 times as fast as dial-up. The quality of a T1 line is much better than analog
phone lines, which translates into a clearer signal and faster connections to
websites and quicker downloads.
Since T1 service lines are dedicated, you will
always have access to the full amount of bandwidth you are entitled to. However
the actual performance you experience at an individual level will drop depending
on how many users are online at that time. A single T1 connection can support
dozens to hundreds of users, but the speed and efficiency will drop as more
people use it simultaneously.
Levels of T1 service
There are multiple flavors of T1 lines. At its most basic, a T1 line can be used
to handle either your voice or data needs.
An integrated T1 line provides
voice and data on the same digital circuit. With this service, you can decide
how many of the T1 connection's 24 channels will be reserved for voice calls,
and what's left is used for data.
You can also purchase a fractional T1
line, which provides only a portion of the total bandwidth. However, with prices
of T1s as low as they have ever been, many companies are selecting full T1s
because the price difference is almost negligible.
Another option to consider is burstable
T1 - a type of "pay as you go" service where you pay for a specific
amount of bandwidth you intend to use. If you exceed that amount, you can still
tap into the ISP's total available bandwidth and pay a premium above your
standard rates. Think of it as going over your allotted minutes on your cell
phone plan. Pricing can be very expensive but could be worthwhile for companies
that know their data traffic patterns and have highly seasonal activity.
Consider investing in a full T1 - or multiple T1s - before looking into
burstable options.
For even better speed and performance, ISPs offer
bonded T1 lines. Bonded T1s allow you to use the full bandwidth
of multiple T1 lines at once. For example, two bonded T1 lines can provide up to
3 Mbps of data transfer in a single connection. By combining the speeds of
individual T1s into a single pipeline, you allow for more bandwidth than two
separate T1 lines.
Pricing:
Standard T1 Internet prices
include the phone company's local loop charge - typically $150 and up - the
phone circuit that connects your location to the business ISP's point of
presence (POP), and the Internet bandwidth access port. All in, monthly T1
prices range from $250 to $1,000 - expect to pay that much for initial setup as
well. Pricing varies according to whether you select data, voice, or integrated
service, and how many channels you wish to activate.
Fractional T1s can be obtained for as little as $100-$200 per month. Bonded T1s
are typically priced at a multiple of a regular T1 line; 3 bonded T1 lines, for
example, would cost $750 to $3,000 monthly.
As mentioned earlier, the typical business ISP contract length is three years.
Most business ISPs will either provide the equipment - routers, T1 pipes,
Ethernet cables - for free, or tie them into the monthly pricing. Certain setup
fees - including local loop charges and installation - may also be waived based
on the length of a business ISP contract.
Options:
DSL: An inexpensive and
distance-sensitive high speed solution that provides Internet and telephone
access on the same lines. While a standard dial-up connection transmits data at
speeds up to 56,000 bits per second (56 Kbps), DSL speeds range from 384 Kbps to
1,500 Kbps. This is one of the more popular options for small businesses,
supporting up to 20 employees who need only basic Internet applications like web
surfing or e-mail. (See "DSL Internet service for business" for more details)
T1: A high speed internet access service that supports data connections
up to 30 times as fast as a 56 Kbps dial-up modem with digitized voice
capabilities over the same lines. This is the most popular option for
small-to-medium-sized businesses with up to 50 employees, and can support all
basic Internet functions as well as large file downloads and uploads. (See "T1
internet service" for more details)
T3: A T3 line offers the combined bandwidth of 28 T1 lines - up to 43
megabits per second (1 Mbps=1000 Kbps). It's a good option for mid-sized
to-large businesses with 100 or more employees. T3 lines run on fiber optic
cable and can support 30,000 times the traffic of standard copper phone wires.
While T3 is available in fractional increments like T1, it is more expensive
than having multiple T1 lines bonded together to produce the same speed.
Frame Relay: An alternate solution for customers who can't get DSL or
cable service. Frame relay is fast and flexible and sends digital information
between one or several destinations at T1 speeds. While the service is
inexpensive, the equipment and setup can be quite pricy. It's not a recommended
option for small-to-medium businesses.
Cable: A high-speed
option that uses the same connection as cable television. It offers data
transfer speeds around 1.5 Mbps, but is not really considered a business-quality
service. Because many people in your area share a cable network, performance
dramatically decreases as multiple users go online at the same time. Also, many
high-tech applications of broadband - VoIP and streaming video, for example - do
not work well over cable.
Satellite: Internet access using a satellite dish. This technology can be
deterred by bad weather and the speeds can't handle large applications such as
web site hosting, video conferencing or multiple file downloads. This is only a
worthwhile option for very remote locations such as boats at sea.
Service Level Agreements
Reliability is probably the most important factor in choosing an ISP. While it
is impossible to maintain 100% availability, most service providers aim for the
lofty standard of "four nines" - 99.99% uptime over the course of a year.
Service level agreements (SLAs) protect businesses by making access providers
pay penalties to the customer for downtime that exceeds a specified total.
Until a few years ago, SLAs were not widely offered by Internet access
providers. Now, they have become a standard for quality high-speed Internet
access like T1 connections. In fact, SLAs are one of the main reasons T1 lines
are the most popular choice for Internet access among businesses.
It is difficult to get an SLA on DSL access. The reason is that DSL's
sensitivity to the distance between the company and ISP's central office,
coupled with the often-low quality of the wiring, makes it difficult to maintain
a sufficient level of guaranteed uptime. Even so, some vendors do provide SLAs
for DSL, but it is uncommon.
To ensure your provider is abiding by this 99.99% performance level, request
monitoring reports that track downtime. Most providers will make this
information available to you upon request.
Contact OCRI
to submit a request for service in your area, just
put your telephone number and address in the subj of the email.
"FREE QUOTES AND HOME OR OFFICE
CHECKUP"
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