Is it time to upgrade to a T1 connection?

Written by: Patrick Oborn - Jan 9, 2009

For some businesses, it all depends if what you are looking for is low price or high reliability; prompt and responsive customer service or long periods of waiting for a representative to assist you; a shared internet connection with the rest of the neighborhood or a dedicated line that stays on 24/7. Many companies’ efficiency relies heavily on the consistency of their voice and data transmission. If you happen to lose connectivity at peak hours the financial loss could be detrimental. With all the applications that a high-speed internet connection allows you to run like email sharing, video conferencing or VoIP. An outage could leave your company’s operations paralyzed. A T1 Connection as some people may know delivers a speed of 1.5 Mbps in both directions. Perhaps a business DSL line could deliver a speed a little higher in a sense. And that’s because, even though a DSL line transmits data at 3 Mbps its speed is determined by your distance from the telephone company’s equipment box in your area and the number of household or businesses connected to the internet. The cooper wiring in which a DSL signal is transmitted is inefficient given the fact that its maximum range is 18,000 feet. So the signal loss becomes too great. Besides being a dedicated line that stays connected at all times, a T1 comes with an unbeatable update warranty, which is achieved by their technical department who monitors your entire network relentlessly. And at the event of any irregularity your T1 carrier’s technicians do not waste any time to diagnose and rectify the problem. A huge difference from when you call your DSL provider if you have ever notice the time you spend waiting to talk to someone that can possibly help you. Residential or business DSL may be cheaper than a T1 line ($20 to $80 per month) depending on you plan. Just a few years back you couldn’t find a T1 line for less than $1000. However, nowadays T1 pricing varies from $400 up to probably $700 per month making it a more attractive option to small businesses. In short, paying $500 per month to include in your service plan a guarantee that your employees, your phone line, and your internet connection will not be interrupted when you most need them is actually a very low price.