Wednesday September 24, 2008,
09:06 pm ET
Rutledge, Pennsylvania, Sep. 24 /Daniel Johannesburg/ --
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.
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!"
"Like Forrest Gump said, finding the right phone service for your business is
like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get" joked
Elizabeth Forest of Detroit, Michigan. "Before finding Cavalier Telephone
through my Telarus agent, I was mislead into signing up for services that weren't
a good fit for my business. Add to that the billing inaccuracies and the hassle
it was to get everything straightened out. My new integrated T1 works flawlessly,
I am able to get full T1 data speeds when no one is on the phone, and I don't
fear opening the bill when it arrives in the mail each month."
To see how customers are reacting to this new product, we interviewed a series of
small business owners in Pennsylvania who are currently using the service. One such
individual shared with us his enthusiasm for the enhanced capabilities dynamic
service offers. "When I was first contacted about the dynamic integrated T1,
I was deeply skeptical of what I was hearing. Over the course of my brief
dealings with telephone companies, all I got was less service with more cost.
Now I am happy to say that I am getting more for less, which makes for one
very happy customer."
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.
Is the era of the analog trunk, or bundle of 24 DS-0 (64 kbps) channels,
officially over? Possibly, thanks to the two-for-the-price-of-one features
of a dynamic integrated T1, which can function exactly like a pure 1.5 mbps
data T1 when no one is one the phone, and allocate required bandwidth
for voice traffic when a user initiates a phone call. Likewise, as soon
as the client terminates the voice session, the 64 KB is re-assigned back
to the digital universe. This switch-hitting capability provides all
of the feel and function of a data T1 and voice T1, for a fraction of the price.
With the help of super-CLECs like XO Communications, PAETEC, Nuvox, One Communications,
Cavalier Telephone, and TelePacific, small business owners everywhere now have access
to non-Bell service that is on par or better than those being offered by the former
Bells. Integrated T1s that do more and cost less have transformed into a solid beach
head for the newcomers. But how much longer will we continue to see improved technology, services, and prices?
It's all in the hands of the Federal Communications Commission, as they have the power
to sqwash the CLECs by proxy. No wonder AT&T and Verizon are the two biggest lobbying
powers in Washington. It makes you wonder what kind of services they would be able to
offer had they plowed that money into R&D instead of politics.
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Courtesy of ShopforT1.com
Definition 1. -
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.
Definition 2. -
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 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. -
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 Rutledge T1 line is in common use today in ISP (Internet Service Provider) connections to the Internet
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