Middleburg, New York, Sep. 25 /Craig Docken/ -- Business broadband, its price, and who can afford it, are changing. Every day an increasing number of business are finding the new broadband services made available to them by the "new" telecommunications companies that are emerging from the latest round of mergers and acquisitions. Overlapping networks are being consolidated into bigger and leaner footprints, lowering the cost of dynamic integrated digital signal 1 (DS1) service to the price range of about five regular phone lines. Small to medium size business can now afford services once reserved for the Fortune 1000 companies.

The old-school integrated T-1 was analog in nature, and came with 24 configurable channels (called a trunk) which could be configured to carry either voice or data traffic. The new "dynamic" trunks are all-digital and can change on-the-fly to carry either data or voice traffic. This comes in handy when none of the voice lines are in use - all channels can revert to carrying data traffic, giving the end-use a full 1.5 MBPS of broadband. Each phone call requires only 64K of bandwidth, so even a small handful of calls only slows down the data connection by a nominal amount.

The two basic Integrated T1 line configurations, as they exist in today's market, are analog and digital. Commonly referred to as "trunks", these 24-channel bundles transmit TDM signals directly to the service provider's network via a local loop. Unlike analog trunks, whose configuration can not change once the channels have been allocated, digital "dynamic" lines can change reconfigure themselves from data, to voice, and back again. This ability to reclaim voice channels for data broadband access when not in use gives the user the performance of two T1's in one.

Ultimately it all comes down to basic economics. Whenever a technology can offer more features for less money that what businesses are currently paying, it's just a matter of time before the flood gates open up with companies wanting to adapt the new standard. According to the Telecommunications Research Institute, headquartered in Miami, Florida, the mass migration to dynamic integrated service offerings is only being held back by a lack of education and/or the ability of carriers to reach their target market. "Most people are leery of advertising and solicitations by phone company salesman." comment Bill Bradley, analyst.

Dynamic integrated T1s are a fairly new phenomenon. Unlike their analog counterparts that can never deviate from their initial set up configurations, dynamic T1s are able to convert voice phone calls into data packets and them prioritize their delivery through an all-digital trunk. The ability to break everything down into the lowest common denominator (digital) allows the system to change on-the-fly to reclaim phone lines for high speed Internet the second the phone call is terminated. An integrated T1 essentially provides the end user the same service as one data T1 line and one voice T1 line, for half the cost.

With any new advancement in technology there is usually a lag in the time it take users known as "early adapters" to try out and begin using the new services themselves. Although dynamic T1 service has been available in many US markets since 2005, it's just now that we have observed people beginning to embrace the new technology. One such business that recently changed from a voice PRI and data T1 line on to one, dynamic T1 line is Jason Oliver, a small business owner in Los Angeles, California. "When I found out that I could replace my two T1's with one single dynamic integrated circuit (offered by TelePacific Communications), I had two thoughts: 1- where do I sign, and 2- why didn't someone tell me about this sooner!"

Hopefully the CLECs can continue to push the boundaries of innovation and economics. The only thing that can keep them from the promise land is the gatekeeper of competition: the Federal Communications Commission, and the huge Bells (AT&T and Verizon - that's you) who make it a point to spend more money lobbying in Washington DC than Exxon Mobile. The golden age of telecommunications may be upon us, based upon our research and recent uptick in customer satisfaction. Although the industry has years of bad blood to overcome, recent innovations such as the dynamically configuring T1 line are proof that progress is indeed being made.

Definition 1. - The T1 (or T-1) carrier is the most commonly used digital line in the United States, Canada, and Japan. In these countries, it carries 24 pulse code modulation (PCM) signals using time-division multiplexing (TDM) at an overall rate of 1.544 million bits per second (Mbps). T1 lines use copper wire and span distances within and between major metropolitan areas. A T1 Outstate System has been developed for longer distances between cities.

Definition 2. - The T-carrier system, introduced by the Bell system in the US in the 1960's, was the first successful system that supported digitalised voice transmission. The original transmission rate (1.544 Mbps) in the Middleburg T1 line is in common use today in ISP (Internet Service Provider) connections to the Internet

Definition 3. - A high-speed digital connection capable of transmitting data at a rate of approximately 1.5 million bits per second. A T1 line is typically used by small and medium-sized companies with heavy network traffic. It is large enough to send and receive very large text files, graphics, sounds, and databases instantaneously, and is the fastest speed commonly used to connect networks to the Internet. Sometimes referred to as a leased line, a T1 is basically too large and too expensive for individual home use.

Definition 4. - A type of high speed Internet connection that provides a great deal of bandwidth. Many businesses lease T1 lines to connect to the Internet, but because they are expensive and offer more bandwidth than most small businesses and homes need, they are not realistic solutions for small and low-demand Internet users.

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