 |
 Shopping For T1 Couldn't Be Easier
|
|
|
|
 |
Ask The Experts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Levels of T1 Service
|
Written by: Joseph Rice March 10, 2010
There are multiple flavors of T1 lines. At its most basic, a T1 line can be used to handle either your voice or data needs.
· Integrated T1. Provides voice and data on the same digital circuit. You can decide how many of the T1 connection’s 24 channels will be reserved for voice calls, and what’s left is used for data.
· Fractional T1. Uses only a portion of the total bandwidth for a percentage of a full T1 rate.
· Burstable T1. A "pay as you go" service, burstable T1 provides a set amount of bandwidth at all times, but also offers the ability to tap into much greater bandwidth during high traffic spikes.
· Bonded T1. Offers the full bandwidth of multiple T1s at once for better speed and performance. Combining individual T1s into a single pipeline allows for more bandwidth than two separate T1 lines.
Downside of T1
The most obvious drawback of a T1 connection is the cost. T1 provides a very reliable connection, but you’ll pay for that guaranteed uptime. For businesses that rely heavily on employee and customer access to data and applications, T1 is worth the investment.
Service Level Agreements
Reliability is probably the most important factor in choosing an ISP. While it’s impossible to maintain 100% availability, most T1 providers aim for the lofty standard of “four nines” – 99.99% uptime over the course of a year. With service level agreements (SLAs), access providers pay penalties to customers for downtime exceeding specified totals.
Contracts
The contract you sign for T1 access should be comprehensive, with no unwanted surprises or hidden fees – detailing all costs, length of service, and the SLA.
The standard contract length for T1 Internet access is three years and may include all setup fees, installation costs, and equipment rental. If you break a contract
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
