T1 Lines and T1 Internet for Business: The Faster, More Reliable Option for Businesses

Businesses can save on costs if they shift their telecommunications needs and migrate to T1 lines instead of the ordinary phone lines, and their DSL connection to the Internet. But what do T1 lines cost?

If you have about 8 or more existing phone lines for your business and you are shedding around $800 monthly just for these voice lines, you are better off using T1 lines. You will have a more efficient and more reliable non-stop Internet connection and at the same time clearer reception on your voice lines.

More and more companies are using T1 lines for their businesses because the technology allows everyone in their organizations to consistently communicate with each other and with their business partners. They are also able to become more productive online since a T1 broadband connection is definitely much faster than a dial-up, and more dedicated than a DSL.

A T1 line uses fiber optic technology that can handle more data than the traditional phone lines that are made of copper wires. There are T1 lines that are made from copper too, but most installations are now fiber optic wires.

Companies with T1 lines have leased the connecting line from the phone company to the office. A T1 line is able to handle 24 digitized voice channels or about 1.544 megabits per second of data. Compared to a regular modem, a T1 line allows data stream of about 192,000 bytes per second – that is about 60 times more 0’s and 1’s running through. That means you have a more reliable system than the rugged analog modem you’re using.

T1 lines are also known as DS1 lines. This is the popular choice among businesses these days if they want to connect to their Internet Service Providers or ISPs. It’s a dedicated setup so users can experience no delays whatsoever except if for example, all 100 computers are downloading huge videos at the same time – but, that is just the worst scenario, and it is rare (almost non-existent) in an office setup

A T1 line used for high-speed digital connection is also known as T1 circuit. This technology can be used to handle voice and data applications simultaneously over the same, single line. The speed of transmission is at a standard rate of 1.5 Mpbs, which is so much faster than your analog modem.

T1 circuits are recommended to businesses and not to individuals primarily because of the cost. T1 lines employ 24 channels for voice, data, or both. The transmission is via a fiber optic wire or sometimes via copper wires.

T1 circuits cost around $1000 to $1500 every month depending on the Internet Service Provider and where the point of installation is. One end of the T1 circuit goes to the web server, so the total cost varies depending on the combination of many fees from the telecommunications company and the ISP.

A T1 circuit can be beneficial to most business organizations like:

• Airports
• Architectural and Engineering firms
• Call centers
• Contractors, Builders, and Developers
• Hospitals
• Banks
• Financial institutions
• Government agencies
• Hotels
• Manufacturers
• Restaurant chains
• Schools
• Courier service providers

The businesses can save a lot if they would do without their existing phone lines and just use part of the T1 line for their voice application requirements. The reception is better and clearer. Aside from that, the other important aspect is the connection to the Internet, which is already a crucial thing for most businesses. Any business that is still not taking advantage of the Internet will soon become obsolete. A T1 circuit can help these organizations build more business online more efficiently and economically.

A full T1 line subscription means that a business organization has leased a dedicated line from the telecommunications provider to the office location. This allows him full access to digital voice applications and fast, continuous Internet connection. The costs though are a bit overbearing if we’re talking about a smaller company. For these organizations, a fractional T1 leasing option is available.

A fractional T1 connection is a T1 subscription but with only some parts of the line utilized. The phone company can offer such service to accommodate those that cannot afford a full T1 implementation.

Through fractional T1, different customers can use separate portions of an existing full T1 installation by the phone company. It is essentially a T1, so it provides access to the standard speed of 1.54 Mpbs. Thing is, the subscriber has limited or lesser bandwidth than a full T1.

Performance and quality are the same with a full implementation, but for a fractional T1 line, there is a bandwidth decrease of about 50 to 75 percent. The price to use such service is just about 5 to 15 percent cheaper from the cost of getting the full T1.

If your company is huge, the best bet is the full T1. For companies that are still getting to the point where they are taking off in the market, a fractional T1 may be more practical.

Fractional T1 offers the same clarity, reliability, and cost-efficiency. Companies that opt for the fractional T1 can have 1 or 2 of their phone line applications riding on the bandwidth, and the rest for Internet connection.

A typical company easily spends around $750 monthly to continuously utilize 8 phone lines in the office for business purposes. If this same company also maintains a DSL Internet connection or it still uses dial-up to connect, it will be more practical to convert these systems to a single T1 line for voice applications and dedicated Internet business.

Here are some of the advantages of going for a dedicated Internet access and voice over a T1 leased line:

• Everyone in the organization can enjoy the WAN (Wide Area Network) speed of 1.5 Mbps up and down at any given time.
• A T1 dedicated Internet access is faster and definitely more reliable than any analog or standard dial-up access
• Looking at the bottom line, a full T1 subscription is more cost-effective than using separate phone lines and DSL or Frame Relay.
• There is a significant increase in profits since there are lower expenses on telecommunications while having increased productivity.
• Employees are able to easily communicate with each other in the organization even if they are geographically separated.
• Customers can easily connect to the company for any business transaction.
• There is no waiting for connection to start up since the dedicated Internet service is always on.
• The business expands since there is a higher potential of making it big online through the dedicated Internet access provided by the T1 line.

More and more business organizations are leasing their full T1 lines for their voice application requirements and dedicated Internet access needs.