The t1 line rates is a digital transmission service that can be used for carrying voice and/or data. A T1 connection is sometimes referred to as a "dedicated service" as the service is delivered to and from the customer premise from the CO (Central Office) without combining it with other traffic. A T1 connections is established by providing a "loop" or wire from the users premesis to the CO where the service provider has equipment. Part of the cost of a T1 is the "loop charge" or the monthly rental fee for the wire that is rented from the local phone company. Once the connection reaches the CO it can access the carriers network and reach any destination.

T-1 provides high speed, point-to-point digital transmission line (up to 1.544 Mbps). This can be used as a single high-speed data channel or it can be split into 24 channels and allocated to either voice or data applications. It is widely deployed and readily available in most regions and although the service is not deminished by distance from the CO, the price is sensitive to distance. This is due to the rental of the loop from the LEC (Local Exchante Carrier). T1 is currently the most common way that large companies connect their LAN to the rest of the world.

Are you ready for T1 service? You may be ready if you have critcal services that need a reliable connection to the internet. If you run ASP services, host e-mail servers or web servers, have over 20 people accessing the internet or use video on demand you should consider T1 access. While more expensive that DSL, T1 access is made to support the above applications. Also remember that when you begin shopping for T1 service you should partner with someone who will act as your agent and represent your best interests. Consider using a broker or agent to help you with your search and cut through some of the industry lingo to help you get exactly what you need.

If a full T1 isn't in your budget, you need to consider a fractional t1 line. Why not get all the advantages of T1 even if your not in a market for a full T1? For many people the biggest factor in their decision is reliability and if reliability is critical to the applications you run over your connection you should seriously consider replacing your DSL connection with a fractional T1. DSL is a quick and cost effective method of acquiring high speed bandwidth however it is not intended to support commercial applications or large numbers of users as are T1 connections.

One drawback to fractional T1 service is the price. Even though you won't have a full T1 you will be paying quite a bit more than you did for your DSL connection. This is due to the structure of T1 pricing. A T1 connections is established by providing a "loop" or wire from the users premesis to the CO where the service provider has equipment. Part of the cost of a T1 is the "loop charge" or the monthly rental fee for the wire that is rented from the local phone company. Once the connection reaches the CO it can access the carriers network and reach any destination. This loop is paid in full whether you use a fraction of the available bandwidth or the full 1.5Mbps and therefore your price for a 768Kbps fractional T1 connection will never be half the price of a 1.5mbps full T1 connection.

Although the price reduction is not what you might expect it to be, this may put a T1 in your budget and be a great way to get dedicated service into your building. Once you have fractional service upgrading to full service is easy. Fractional service typically comes in 256Kbps increments from 256Kbps all the way to a full T1 at 1.5Mbps. Find the service that's right for you, but if you are supporting critical services think reliability. Reliability becomes critical when customers or employees depend on your connection for immediate responses. If your customers use your connection to access your databases or your server or the internet then reliability of your connection is critical. If your employees depend on your connections because you host the e-mail server in house or host web servers or ASP type products, your connections is considered critical. A critical connection can be viewed much like a lifeline, without which your business would be negatively impacted.