T1 Line: The Revolution In Bandwidth

T1 Line is a copper line or more commonly now a fiber optic line that can carry 192,000 data bytes per second. The T 1 offers a greater speed, greater flexibility and versatility for commercial enterprises than either cable or DSL.

While handling 24 digital voice channels per line, the T 1 line can be incorporated into an existing office system or wired into the network router for data purposes.

In comparison to a conventional modem, a T1 line deals with 60 times more data. This makes it extremely reliable because it can potentially manage hundreds of users if there is just general web browsing. If there is more demanding use of the Internet such as music file sharing, then a single line would be swamped.

Two important factors are reliability and price when choosing between a T 1 line or DSL. DSL is cheaper, although in a high demand environment it is not as dependable. Cable and DSL speed can be slowed down by large numbers of users. However, a T 1 line is more costly but very reliable for quicker response time of several applications running at the same time. Ideally, a T 1 line is preferable to either cable or DSL for small businesses or some government agencies.

A T 1 line costs anywhere from $200 to $1000 a month. From a cost standpoint, the line is not a feasible alternative for an individual or residential environment. The difference in cost can depend on which Internet provider you're getting the service from and which phone service comes with the line. If the service includes voice or data or both, this will have an impact on the overall pricing of the service.

The flexibility of a fiber optics line is a huge advantage over the slower modem. The lines can be channelized or unchannelized for voice and data. The popular choice these days seem to unchannelized lines to allow both voice and data uses.

As demand grows for the fiber optics lines, the prices are dropping. Other higher speed fiber optic lines such as T2 and the T3 can carry up to 44.736 megabytes of data per second. The T 3 line is the equivalent of having 28 T 1 lines. There is now the T4 capable of operating at 274.176 megabytes per second. The last two groups of data lines are known as super groups. These lines are used by larger businesses with higher data and voice demands.

However, there remains a problem of compatibility with the European equivalent of fiber optic lines. The European Union has a type of data and voice line called the E1 and the E3. An E 2 line is also in use but not as common.

If you are seriously thinking about leasing or even buying a T 1 line for your data and voice, it is best to go with a broker. The brokers can negotiate a good price from the telecommunication companies with no additional markup, and if something goes wrong, the broker can ensure that technical assistance will come from the supplier.