| For T1 and T3 (aka DS3) business connectivity.....how | | | | For a T3 (aka DS3) connection, this can be very |
| do you decide who offers the best package of | | | | expensive to implement. You might first want to see if |
| bandwidth and network performance for the money? | | | | the building you're in already has any fiber connectivity |
| A T1 (or T3) by any other name or even the same | | | | going into it. If the buliding is new or was part of the |
| name, may not be the same. There is so much more | | | | 2000 boom they might have some fiber already in the |
| to it than "just" getting a T1 (or T3). | | | | building. Then all you would need to do is find out who |
| First, no matter who you buy your T1 from, most likely | | | | the fiber belongs to and pay to light up the line. |
| the actual circuit (loop, UNE, copper, ...) will be provided | | | | T1 and T3/DS3 are not distance limited, but they can |
| by the Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier, (ILEC) which | | | | be expensive for rural or hard to reach locations. DSL |
| is the RBOC, a Baby Bell in most areas (in the US). | | | | is limited to 12-18K feet and Ethernet over Copper |
| Might be Pac Bell, now SBC, er... AT&T (can sure | | | | (EoC) to 9K feet from your service address to the |
| get confusing). But any area with any amount of | | | | closest DSL or EoC equipped Central Office. Cable |
| B&I will have a number of Competitive Local | | | | Internet and fiber providers must already be in your |
| Exchange Carriers (CLEC), other competitive phone | | | | building to provide service --although, they may extend |
| companies. And they are not all the same in their | | | | cable/fiber if there are multiple tenant prospects. |
| services. They may all offer a T1, but there can be | | | | Most T1 and Ethernet over Copper providers buy |
| BIG differences. | | | | building access (copper pairs or loops) from the local |
| Look at the contracts offered. A T1 is 1.544M of | | | | exchange carrier (LEC). If you have a T1 order in |
| bandwidth. One contract may state that if you actually | | | | process (with any provider), and are experiencing an |
| use the full bandwidth regularly, they will increase your | | | | extended install delay, chances are that the LEC has |
| rate. Another one may state that if the full bandwidth | | | | facilities issues in the area (not enough copper pairs, |
| is not available at any time 24x7 you get a rebate. BIG | | | | fiber, cross-connects, etc.) In this case, you can either |
| difference. Some will go even further and provide | | | | wait for the LEC to resolve the issue, or order new |
| specs on things like packet loss and latency letting you | | | | service from a provider that doesn't use the LEC |
| know not only how fast, but how good. Be sure to | | | | access network (e.g., cable, fiber or wireless.) |
| check SLA's (Service Level Agreements). | | | | Throw in the options of MPLS, Fiber, Gigabit Ethernet, |
| Many of the smaller CLECs may have the ability to | | | | and Metro Ethernet....and making a decision can get |
| connect locally to the ILEC and sell you a T1. But how | | | | even more confusing. |
| much bandwidth do they own? Some business models | | | | However, no matter direction you go in you'll want to |
| allow for a 10 to 1 ratio of sold bandwidth to owned | | | | do a thorough comparison of all available providers to |
| bandwidth. This is guessing that only one out of ten of | | | | make sure you get the best combination of bandwidth, |
| their users will want to actually use their bandwidth at | | | | cost, SLA, QoS, etc to meet your application |
| any time. Others actually have their own "above net" | | | | requirements. |
| fiber. This way they can haul your traffic above the | | | | Whatever that solution is it can be pretty time and |
| congestion of the regular Internet to a more local | | | | effort intensive to contact every potential provider in |
| peering point. At the extreme top end of providers, | | | | the area individually.....compare, negotiate, decide, do the |
| they can guaranty data transfer rates to points around | | | | paperwork, etc. |
| the world. | | | | DS3 Bandwidth Solutions will do all of that for you...and |
| Dedicated Internet, Voice or WAN availability depends | | | | at no cost to you either. |
| on the exact address of the service location. | | | | |