T1 to the Internet

One of the most common uses of a T1 line is an "Internet T1". This connection is used to provide Internet access to businesses of all sizes. Available in over 95% of the lower forty-eight states, Internet T1s have become one of the most popular ways for multiple users in one location to connect to the Internet. The connection is available from dozens of providers with monthly prices for Internet T1 service ranging from $300 - $1,500. The telecom marketplace is fiercely competitive and receiving quotes from multiple providers can save a company thousands of dollars a year.

How much does an Internet T1 cost?

The price of an Internet T1 is generally made up of two components: the local loop price and the port price. The local loop is what connects your location to the carrier's POP (Point of Presence). Local T1 loops are priced according to the distance from your location to the carrier's POP and are priced differently by all carriers. If you are looking for T1 prices it is best that you receive quotes from multiple carriers to insure that you get the best deal available. As a rule you can expect an Internet T1, including local loop, to cost between $400 and $1,300 a month, depending on the installation location and the desired speed of the service.

Do all carriers provide the same type of Internet T1 service?

Just because a carrier says that they are providing a T1 to the Internet; do not assume that all carriers are providing the same service. Every carrier uses different technology and design in transmitting data from your location to the Internet. Large carriers like AT&T, Qwest, Sprint and WorldCom use fiber optic backbones that they own and operate. These networks are highly sophisticated and redundant and can move data at speeds up to OC-192. When you buy access from one of these providers - or from a rebiller of their T1 service - you are getting the highest quality available. Some smaller providers will buy access from a large Tier One provider then resell the service to a large number of subscribers, resulting in poor quality. If you have questions about what network a T1 provider is using, we would be happy to provide you with the answers that you need.

What is the difference between a DSL connection and an Internet T1 line?

The primary difference between DSL and a T1 is in the level of over subscription that occurs before the service reaches the end user. When you purchase a full T1 of Internet access, what you are generally getting is access to 1.544 Mbps of transmission on the carrier's network, regardless of what other customers are transmitting and receiving. To better illustrate this, let's assume that a carrier has capacity for 150 Mbps at any given time. This means that the at the most, they would sell is 100 T1s; Tier One carrier networks are seldom oversubscribed. For every megabyte of capacity, they can sell one megabyte access to a customer.

DSL works differently - and costs less - because of over subscription. When you use a DSL connection your service runs through a piece of equipment called a DSLAM, as opposed to running directly into the Internet. The DSLAM acts as a point of aggregation between the DSL subscribers and the direct connection to the Internet (normally a T1 or DS-3). Typical DSL over subscription rates run from 4:1 to 25:1. Or in other words, for every one megabyte of demand coming into the DSLAM, a fraction of that is available. The benefit to this design is that a DSL provider can provide a 2 Mbps connection for a fraction of the T1 price. The disadvantage is that when the DSLAM gets busy, your connection speed will slow considerably.