T1 Service
There are multiple flavors of T1 lines. At its most basic, a T1 line is
used to handle either your voice or data needs. A Burstable T1 is a pay
as you go service. This provides a set amount of bandwidth at all times,
but also offers the ability to tap into much greater bandwidth during high
traffic spikes. A fractional T1 uses only a portion of the total bandwidth
for a percentage of a full T1 rate. Integrated
T1 provides voice and data on the same digital circuit. You can decide
how many of the T1 connections twenty-four channels will be reserved for
voice calls, and what’s left will be used for data. A Bonded T1 offers the
full bandwidth of multiple T1s at once for better speed and performance.
Combining individual T1s into a single pipeline allows for more bandwidth
than two separate T1 lines.
With the Internet
such a vital part of everyday business, more and more companies are choosing
always-on broadband connections, and T1 lines are one of the most popular.
T1 Internet access lets your employees consistently communicate and exchange
data with co-workers, customers, and vendors at speeds much faster than
standard dial-up. T1 is symmetrical connection, allowing for downloads and
uploads of up to 1.5 Mbps – 30 times as fast as 56k dial-up. A single T1
connection can support dozens to hundreds of users, but speed and efficiency
drops as more people use it simultaneously.
One drawback of a T1 connection is the cost. For businesses
that rely heavily on employee and customer access to data and applications,
T1 is worth the investment. Reliability is probably the most important factor
in choosing an ISP. While it is impossible to maintain 100% availability,
most T1 providers aim for the lofty standard of “four nines” (99.99% uptime
over the course of a year.) After you sign a contract, a telecommunications
contractor will come to your office to set up and test the necessary circuits.
Then the T1 provider or Internet access
broker installs routers, connects your LAN, configures IP addresses and
firewall security, and sets up any other equipment noted on the contract.
It usually takes 30 to 45 days from the contract signing to set up your
office for access. The contract you sign for T1 access should be comprehensive,
with no unwanted surprises or hidden fees, such as detailing all costs,
length of service, and the SLA. The contract length for T1 Internet access
is three years and may include all setup fees, installation costs, and equipment
rental.
