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. - 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 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 Bairoil T1 line is in common use today in ISP (Internet Service Provider) connections to the Internet

Bairoil, Wyoming, May. 28 /Ron Franatovich/ -- Small businesses all over the country are discovering a whole new universe of broadband access. As the price of commercial-grade telecommunication services continues to drop, more and more enterprises are starting to drop their plain old telephone service lines in favor of all-digital T1 trunks that deliver voice and data over the same connection. These new enhancements were made possible by the increasing pace of consolidation in the telecommunication industry along with the increasing value bigger phone companies can provide.

There are two basic "integrated" DS-1 configurations, analog and digital. The 24-line bundle in which they come is termed a "trunk". The main difference between analog and digital trunks is their flexibility. With digital trunks, voice lines not in use can be dynamically reconfigured to carry data traffic, so they don't sit idle. Analog trunks on the other hand can not change their function once configured by the service provider. Data channels remain data channels and the same for voice channels, even if there is no voice traffic.

At $50 to $75 per month, the average small business telephone customer could expect to pay up to $750 for just 10 regular phone lines, which come with only a standard set of features such as Voicemail, Caller ID, and Three-way calling. From 2000 to 2005, the cost of a dynamic integrated T1 line was well over $800, making it an unattractive option from a pure cost point of view. However, that paradigm has changed with the introduction of sub-$400/month price plans and features that make the old POTs lines look pre-historic.

To see how customers are reacting to this new product, we interviewed a series of small business owners in Wyoming 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 recent progress made by CLECs leaves us thinking in hypotheticals. "What if the Clinton administration wouldn't have passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, requiring RBOCs to lease their lines at reduces rates to the CLECs?" "Will the FCC continue to enforce this law, or will it be overturned by the powerful AT&T and Verizon lobbyists?" It is impossible to know either way, but for the time being we can just be grateful that the industry has evolved to the point were small businesses can actually benefit from telecommunications at an affordable rate.

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