Full T1
A basic comprehension of the T1 line should be common knowledge among business owners who are looking for reliable bandwidth for Internet access, data communications, or multiple telephone lines. However, it was not until the late 1990s that the market for T1 lines became competitive and prices began falling to more reasonable levels, causing the demand to rise sharply among small and medium sized businesses. Currently, most small business owners and managers still do not know how a standard T1 line works or what it is capable of providing. It is useful to know though, that there are seven basic types of T1's, which include Full T1, Fractional, Voice, PRI, Integrated Voice and Data, Voice Over IP, and Point-to-Point T1's.
Full T1 Line is a circuit that provides 1.5 megabits per second of high-speed Internet access, which is the most common type of T1. A Full T1 can also be used to carry telephone lines and/or VoIP calls, both of which are covered within the Voice, PRI and Voice Over IP sections here. Nearly all office-based and modern retail businesses require some type of Internet access in order to perform their daily operations, and many have mission critical Internet needs that allow them to continue business operations at all. There are many choices to fulfill this need for Internet access, including Dial-up connections, ISDN, DSL, Cable, Wireless applications, a T1 Line, or something larger like a DS3 or OC-3.
Internet T1 pricing starts at approximately four hundred dollars per month, but can cost more than $1000 per month if the location of the installation requires a long loop to connect to the network of your local phone company to the network of the T1 provider. This is usually only the case in very small towns or rural areas where facilities are less dense. Most metropolitan areas have many choices of T1 providers, at least one of which will usually be closer and cheaper than the rest. Pricing will fluctuate dramatically depending on the Provider and the location of your business, which is why it is sometimes safer and easier to use an experienced Telecom Consultant to guide you in finding the best solution. For example some companies that do not require much bandwidth or have a small budget might need to opt for a Fractional T1 Line.
A T1 Line consists of 24 channels that transmit data at 64Kbps each, thereby giving a Full T1 Line the capacity to transmit 1.54Mbps of data synchronously. Using today's standard email applications and common Internet searching, this amount of bandwidth could support anywhere from 1 to approximately seventy-five users depending on their needs, preferences, and the company's budget. Most commonly, Full T1 Lines are being used in offices with five to fifty employees. A T1 circuit provides the most reliable bandwidth available when leased from a high quality T1 Provider, which is why businesses are willing to pay more for a T1 than for other services like DSL or Cable. In some applications, a T1 can save money for a company who uses a less reliable bandwidth connection. Since multiple services can be combined on a single T1, cost efficient solutions are often available if you know what service to ask for.
