T1 Line Provider Review

T1 Line and T1 Provider Reviews

2008-05-15T03:54:00.002-05:00

Well, that seems to be it for reviewing all the T1 Line ISP's. For the month of May it looks like we've just about completed all of our T1 Line provider reviews. Rather than limit ourselves to just T1 Line reviews, we realize companies who purchase T1 Line service often have additional network needs that can be related, such as Colocation service, and Metro Ethernet or other broadband provider services. Therefore, we will be looking into reviews for additional types of connectivity services, mainly services such as Telco Collocation services as well as Metro Ethernet services. We also plan to tempt to give our review of Internet Backbone and Tier One bandwidth providers.

US SIGNAL

2008-05-02T18:40:00.003-05:00

Working out of Grand Rapids, MI, US Signal is a relatively new carrier that has been in business for only 20 years. Currently managed by president Barry Raterink and maintained by around 100 employees, US Signal operates on a small regional network yet offers a robust variety of services.

US Signal offers standard network services, private lines, specialize in wholesale data and fiber products, offer collocation services all while operating on a CISCO network. Their collocation facilities are complemented by their ability to connect offices across metro networks only where there is coverage with their collocation equipment.

US Signal has 60 on/off sites throughout the Midwest as their site mentions that they own and maintain 2,500 miles of existing lit long haul and metro fiber serving 14 markets in the regions of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. This guarantees solid access to the Midwest region and those close by. US Signal are able to provide lit service or dark fiber leases.

US Signal has one of the strongest SLAs in the business that promises the following: 30 days on provisioning (have been able to install some circuit types in 5 days), 99.99% On/Off network availability, 4 hours maximum time to restore service, 99.99% data delivery commitment, latency of less than 55ms, max packet loss of 0.05%, however they do have scheduled downtime.

The company specializes in IP services (point-to-point, MPLS, T1 Ethernet, etc.). Since US Signal specializes in wholesale customers, they are able to offer QOS enhanced service level agreements that allow them to offer four distinct classes of data performance making it ideal for VOIP customers.

As another one of the many regional domestic networks, it’s not surprising that they offer competent customer service. Technical support is quick to respond and competent. Quality is not an issue with smaller companies. You can argue that there is less to maintain compared to bigger providers, or that it’s stressed to stand out of the crowd of larger companies, but whatever the case, they will deliver to the customer, backed by their SLA. US Signal is relatively new, so you can bet that they are going to work harder for your business.

The Good: Accurate billing, high quality variety of services, strong SLA, offer online payments, competent & quick tech support

The Bad: Smaller network, as they are a regional domestic network.

The Bottom Line: Though they operate on a small network, US Signal is a dedicated provider that does not disappoint with its quality and range of services. A customer’s business is important to US Signal. They treat you well.

TEL WEST Communications (not to be confused with Telewest UK)

2008-05-02T18:39:00.006-05:00

Tel West Communications, LLC.& Tel West Network Services is a facilities-based IP services provider that specializes in dedicated circuits for enterprise businesses. Their main headquarters is located in Seattle, Washington and are currently led by CEO Stephen L. Schilling.

Tel West offers basic converged services such as T1 lines, but also specialize in voice service and data bundles.

Tel West operates on a limited domestic level, with a network presence spanning 10 major metropolitan areas including, Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Olympia, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Fort Worth, and Corpus Christi.

Tel WestThe SLA is strong. For a small company, they know that they have to keep their performance up to stand out. They have to.

The network itself is small, so it’s not great if you have a company that sprawls nationally, let alone worldwide. US Signal is facilities based which might lower cost and make it easier to connect to other telecommunications carriers in a neutral environment. Voice service and data are sold, usually in bundles. Being a local exchange carrier they are able to give customers competitive long distance pricing.

They have a live NOC staff with prompt reply from customer service. Billing is made as clear as possible, so you have one less thing to worry about. Their website allows online billing for your convenience.

The Good: prompt customer support and live NOC staff, good billing servicelocal exchange carrier they have competitive long distance pricing

The Bad: Small regional company. They are limited to providing a domestic network for companies, as opposed to larger a worldwide network that can link you to overseas offices.

The Bottom Line: If you live in the areas that offer Tel West, then it’s worth checking out. Network is limited, but has the benefits that only a small company can offer like top-notch quality control and very competitive pricing.

Sprint

2008-05-02T18:39:00.005-05:00

Sprint Fiber Optics Network (FON) is the IP services branch of parent company Sprint Nextel. Based in Overland Park, Kansas, Sprint has been in existence for more than a century and has had an international presence for more than 25 years running. The whole company is currently lead by Paul Saleh and is staffed by 60,000+ employees.

Sprint offers businesses a huge variety of IP services that usually tap directly into the nearest node which include: T1, DSL, OC lines, private lines, network services, virtual LAN services, and due to their merger with Nextel also offer various data and voice services.

Domestically, they have one of the largest networks only being smaller in comparison to companies such as Verizon and MCI. Their network backbone operates on speeds up to OC48 and OC192. Sprint also has a worldwide presence in regions such as European, Asian Pacific, South American, and availability in more than a 100 other countries.

Sprint has a solid SLA that they typically do not violate. It promises in the event they fail to meet their 95%+ On/Off Network availability, they will issue appropriate credit. They also promise 4hrs to restore service, 30-45 days on provisioning, 99.9% data delivery, latency of less than 55ms, and at least 0.3% packet loss.

They have a 1:1 subscription, thus no oversubscription making it a reliable network. Their T1 lines are clear channel lines; none of which are burstable, either. They are not quite as good as Verizon MCI because their network is smaller, so they don’t have as much peering available.

They are also good when supporting other ISPs so they can be relied upon on a wholesale level to provide good bandwidth. In fact, they support wholesalers. The network isn’t international, but it’s a very good domestic one. Sprint provides headache-free billing with a reliable service. Service quality may not be coordinated at all times, but once the service is up and running, customers should find little to no problems on the most part. This is a solid domestic choice.

The Good: Solid network, good 24/7 tech support with knowledgeable techs, good customer service, good billing service, no hidden fees they are up front about everything

The Bad: Expensive costs for services

The Bottom Line: An overall great choice for services as they have a solid network and good support however it all comes bundled at high prices.

Verizon (merger of MCI, MFS Telecom, RhythmsDSL, Genuity)

2008-05-02T18:29:00.004-05:00

Verizon Communications, Inc. was formed in 2000 when Bell Atlantic merged with GTE, formerly the largest independent local exchange telephone company in the United States. In 2005, Verizon acquired MCI, formerly WorldCom, after SBC Communications agreed to acquire AT&T Corp. Based in New York, Verizon boasts about 240,000 employees (2006) under CEO/Chairman Ivan Seidenberg and President/Vice-Chariman Dennis Strigl.

Verizon offer a variety of communication services: Broadband Internet services, television service, local wireline and wireless telecommunication services. Their land line services include POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) as well as VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) and optical fiber line services. Verizon also offers a product in a joint venture with Microsoft called “Verizon Web Calling”, a VoIP service used within Windows Live messenger. Their optical fiber lines provide video service with hundreds of channels, including 20 high-definition channels. Verizon also provides DIRECTV.

For a T1 line, or similar dedicated access services, Verizon signs their customers to a minimum three (3) year contract term or service extension to meet the requirement for those with less than 36 months remaining. Their Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) is at a threshold of 4 hours for any downtime that may occur during their guaranteed 99.9% network availability (NA). If the MTTR for an interruption exceeds four (4) hours, then “Verizon will provide a credit of fifty percent (50%) of the monthly recurring charge for any individual Local TLS UNI that is unavailable for use for more than four (4) consecutive hours during the calendar month.” “If Network Availability across any Local TLS UNI in a customer’s Local TLS network less than the threshold of 99.90% for a calendar month Verizon will provide a credit equal to ten percent (10%) of the associated monthly recurring charge for the UNI that did not meet the threshold during that calendar month.” (Verizon SLA)

The company claims 62 million customers nationwide, but broadband connections are only a bit over 7.5 million. As for the network, you may find it pretty difficult to find any direct information on their websites. There’s a reason for that; the network is simply bad, and Verizon Sales Representatives are never straightforward as to what they are trying to sell you. Are they selling you a well priced T1, but it’s really a Frame Relay T1? Or are you going to get a T1 that runs over MCI’s IP network? This is where things can get sneaky with Verizon. Verizon Business (old MCI/UUnet) is seperate from Verizon Data (Verizon's Network) and the pricing is completely different when they sell the same thing.

Verizon is virtually a monopoly because of all of their major acquisitions. They very possibly own 80% of the entire Internet and virtually own or control all terrestrial circuits in the US.

Make sure you ask a lot of questions when getting Verizon T1, though. If you get it from their MCI division, the Internet will be the best; period. MCI used to be UUNet so although the network is aging, it is still among the best you will get. If Verizon sells you their own access from their Genuity network, the ping will be fantastic, but the rest leaves room to be desired. If they sell you service from their own Verizon network, which is pretty much Frame Relay, you’ll be very upset. Simply put, you have to order a T1 from MCI for it to be any good. If you buy Verizon, find out if it’s Genuity or Verizon’s own Frame relay (no CIR) because you should do all you can to avoid the Frame Relay network. Unknowing customers are told they’ll receive a T1 line in a 3 year contract with an amazing price, but may get stuck w/ a pseudo T1 line.

The best thing to do is to go to MCI.com and call MCI to get top notch T1 there. There is no better provider of T1 service than MCI (now part of Verizon). Here’s a downer, though: MCI is VERY expensive. That’s the reason Verizon doesn’t sell their MCI T1s exclusively. They have their Genuity or Verizon frame relay network connectivity for “lower end” T1.If you’re looking into Verizon, be careful of their billing system. If you get MCI, they had upwards to 220 different billing systems. It’s supposed to be around 60 now, but that’s still a ridiculously large amount of billing plans for one service. WATCH OUT FOR BILLING!

Aside from the cost and quality of service, customer service is also atrocious. It takes up to 3 weeks to simply get an email set up. Dispatches to repair service have a fairly good response, though. Oh, and cancellation with Verizon is a nightmare. They frequently ruin billing and then send collections companies, namely IC Systems, after people, which can severely damage a person’s credit score for no reason.

The Good: Service depends on the network you use. MCI’s network offers among the best in the business.

The Bad: Most customers may not know that Verizon sell different networks for comparable prices. MCI would be the best choice, but it is very expensive, plus you may be overcharged at an even higher rate if you get stuck with a more expensive billing system. Customers calling with problems may find that their calls are not responded to or returned. Why does it also take 2 weeks to set up a simple email account or MX record? Verizon business tactics and ethics are also questionable at times (bullying CLECs, cutting phone lines to impede competition, dragging their feet on installs, waiting for the DSL market to be educated by smaller companies and them steamrolling them putting many DSL companies out of business, blocking important technologies, etc)

The Bottom Line: Very difficult to find specs on their actual networks. I find that those companies with better networks like to flaunt what they have, and information is easily found on their websites. Verizon does not have anything aside from claiming to have “the best network”, which is actually true if you count their MCI network. Make sure you ask what network Verizon is selling you service on, and make sure you can get the best deal when it comes to billing. They definitely have a lot to choose from.

NTT Verio (merged with NTT Communications)

2008-05-02T18:20:00.003-05:00

Verio is an internet service provider (ISP) in the United States formed from a consolidation of dozens of aggressively aquired smaller ISPs. Incorporated in 1996 in Denver, Colorado, it is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo, Japan-based Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) Communications, which purchased it in 2000. NTT Communications (NTT Com), is a subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) Corporation - one of the world's largest telecommunications companies. NTT is headed by President/CEO Hiromi Wasai with Verio under President/CEO Kiyoshi Maeda and Chief Operating Officer Dennis V. Boyle. Japan is reknown for their outstanding cutting edge technology, superior business management, and personal dedication to quality of service, however, not even the Japanese can seem to save this slowly sinking ship.

Verio (NTT Verio) is the company that is offered here in the States, so we’ll cover that subsidiary in this review. NTT Com prides itself in providing “high-quality, technologically advanced network management, security and solution services to consumers, corporations and governments on a global basis, with a special focus on the Asia-Pacific region.” Its backbone network, combined with the networks of partner companies around the world, offers access to more than 200 countries, including more than 30 companies in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the Americas. NTT’s purchase of Verio means the network isn’t just domestic, but international. It’s very useful if you need to connect to global offices. You can keep everything on the same network. Their “Global Tier One Network” was built with OC3, OC12 and OC48 circuits, as well as Cisco and Juniper Networks router technology.

Telemark named NTT Communications the "Best in Class" for Customer Satisfaction twice. From the looks of the wonderfully designed website, everything is laid out in a simple manner: Account Cancellations, Account Suspensions, Credit Information, Contact Information, and Requesting Domain Change. They even have a page that gives you step-by-step instructions on how to navigate around their Customer Support Section. The only thing I haven’t found is a billing page. So they have award winning customer service, but there has to be some downsides. Why? Because we all know we can’t have everything.

The service itself is fair. They are slightly oversubscribed, but the service isn’t bad by any means. They don’t guarantee 100% speed throughput, and most of the time they sell Burstable T1, thus allowing their T1 service to be less expensive. Since they are a top network provider, the network is never too bad. Again, I stress that the performance will be good, albeit a little slow at times. Also, there is a lot of talk about how bad their tech support is. It is said by some that they actually talk you down at times. The general consensus is that they are rude over at the tech support department. Just to make it clear, that’s customer care. The tech support is actually good. The techs do have knowledge of what’s going on, they just have subpar support and bad provisioning. They take to time setting things up, as well. The company has a subpar agent program and has abandoned its T1 and T3 dedicated access services completely even though this was a service Verio was well known for in the past.

The Good: The service is so-so, but the network performance is good. Their network allows you to network any other offices you may have around the world, keep them all connected.

The Bad: Verio dedicated and ethernet access is slightly oversubscribed, and they used sell burstable T1 lines most of the time. Their services don’t reach 1544k, but be mindful that only half the tier one networks actually offer what they promise.

The Bottom Line: No guarantees with speed on this network, plus you may run into some rude employees when you report issues. The global network is useful, but may not be at desirable speeds.

XO Communications

2008-05-02T18:15:00.005-05:00

XO Communications, formerly NextLink, is the largest Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) in the United States. Led by Chairman/CEO Carl J. Grivner, the company is based out of Reston, VA. It currently (2007) has 4400 employees and is owned by XO Holdings, Inc. XO Communications, a provider of telecommunications services to businesses and other telecom carriers. XO Communications purchased and merged with Allegiance Telecom in 2004.

XO Communications offers local and long-distance voice, dedicated Internet access, private networking, data transport, and managed services such as Web hosting and bundled voice and data services. They operate a nationwide OC-192 IP network and currently carry more than 15 billion minutes of VoIP traffic across its network each year. The OC-192 IP backbone of XO’s network uplinks with OC-12 lines in their markets and data centers to have “one of the highest capacity and scalable IP backbones in the industry, along with the highest levels of performance and reliability.” (http://www.xo.com/)

XO’s Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) SLA guarantees 100% network availability. They also guarantee a latency is 65ms, a maximum of 1% packet loss per month, and a maximum of 1ms of network jitter delay per month. If any of these guarantees are not met, they promise one-day credit for each day the SLA was violated.

XO’s network is good. XO’s website also provides a list of diagnostic tools (like a Ping Test and Bandwidth Meter) so that you can monitor your service. Technical support is also great. If you call for tech help, a highly qualified technician usually answers the phone immediately and can sometimes fix a problem on the spot. XO’s T1 division handles installation and T1 support somewhat successfully, but what is up with their colocation division?

XO’s colocation division is not prepared to handle customers. Colocation has no 24 hour staff and they charge a 4 hour minimum at $225/hr with an unreliable dispatch, which usually never shows up. There have been provisioning nightmares where customer routers have failed and it would take 3 weeks for XO to fix them. If your colocation is down, it is not unusual to expect your entire network to be down for 1-2 DAYS – unacceptable by any means as industry average for this kind of service is 4 hours at most! Their staff fails at competence and installs the wrong services, then their billing department bills incorrectly for it.

Their billing has been known to be very poor. They’ve billed wrong and sometimes double bill customers. They suspend accounts immediately if they lapse and make you wait 24 hours to get your entire network back up. That’s right. They suspend your service for a day if they bill you wrong, many times without warning. XO lacks account receivable and incorrect bills are a nightmare to correct. XO offers new customers a no-risk satisfaction guarantee on standard products and services for the first three months after installation. One has to wonder how many times this guarantee has been taken advantage of.

Moreover, they DO NOT HAVE CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR SALES AGENT CUSTOMERS. It’s not that it’s poor, it doesn’t exist, literally. They only have tech support and horrendous billing. There is no one to complain to, except your sales representative. Their data center staff is only staffed 9AM-5PM EST, which defeats the purpose of a mission critical 24/7 facility. You will be charged $400 for a reboot or for a dispatch which is 4 hours minimum after 5. They do have 24/7 telephone support for help with dedicated access, though. You are routed to a high level tech, not some dummy who has to "escalate" you so if you find the right person your issue can sometimes be fixed very fast. That said, if you find the wrong person you can end up down for three weeks.

XO has a decent network with a good tech support to go with it, but they lack customer service for certain services and come with an atrocious billing department. Billing can be split into two or three billing system so this means you will end up with multiple invoices for one order. And some invoices you cannot pay online, they are by mail or phone only. So if you like to pay online you will be making phone calls as well every month. The sales staff is very good, though. Unlike most other companies, their sales reps don’t just make a sell to you, collect the commission and never call you again. XO’s sales staff does a pretty darn good job at staying in contact with you, but they still don’t replace a fully functional customer service department. Prices vary depending on your area, but generally they’ve been known to have excellent prices. For exact quotes, you’ll have to contact XO Communications for a quote in your area.

The Good: A good network with excellent prices. Some of the sales staff is very good along with a great technical support. Outstanding, well-conceived, web-based online controls and applications to improve customer experience - other ISPs should really learn from XO.

The Bad: Billing and billing service is downright awful. The lack of customer service does not help and a network critical company may lose a lot of money during downtimes, which are also common. XO, formerly Nextlink was once a premier company, but Carl Icahn has pretty much screwed that one up. XO is trying to make a come back but it might take a longtime, let's hope they don't run out of cash.

The Bottom Line: We won’t tell you to avoid them altogether, but if your company relies on a working service to maintain revenue then XO Communications may not be the choice best suited for you. Even though they do have a fine network, exceptional prices and great technical service, billing may be a huge headache accompanied by crucial downtimes. Tech repairs can be tiresome and take a very long time as well. XO is completely unreliable if you intend on anything mission critical.

Time Warner Telecom (merged with Xspedius)

2008-05-02T18:08:00.001-05:00

Company Overview: Headquartered in Littleton, Colo., Time Warner Telecom (TWT) has only been around for a relatively short amount of time compared to some of its competitors, like AT&T. They’re the business division of Time Warner Cable, which provides Internet services to homes, etc. Chairman, President and CEO Larissa L. Herda is at the helm at TWT with about 2,800 employees.

TWT provides managed network services, specializing providing integrated local lines, Internet, and long distance services.TWT is working hard to solidify itself among businesses in the vast telecom market, and consumers want to know if this will spell out deals.

Time Warner Telecom’s site says their “IP backbone architecture consists of multiple, diverse optical circuits with a core network operating at OC-48 speeds and some peripheral locations connected via OC-12s. Time Warner Telecom's IP backbone is built with redundancy at the local, regional, and national levels.” TWT actually owns its own networks, which helps cut costs down for the customer.

According to their website, over the 12 month span between June 2006-July 2007, they provided nearly 100% packet delivery and their latency never went over 45ms. Their SLA promises they’ll to restore service within 2-4 hours of downtime, offer 99.99% data delivery, all while providing a latency of 50ms. It says nothing about speed guarantees. In practice, they never give you 1544k, either.

Another thing to keep in mind is that their network is full of cable users. They run their T1 over a network designed for Cable modem users. What kinds of speed can you expect? Plus, outages are frequent, and the connections rarely have high performance, in terms of speed, that their SLA spells out.

TWT’s competitive prices are cheaper than most bandwidth providers. They offer competitive pricing with term discounts up to 20%. You should expect a price range of about $410-$545 for voice T1 depending on whether you sign a 2 or 3 year contract. Their tech support is also competent. They offer prompt 24 hour customer service.

The Good: Good customer service and a decent network, all for a cheap price. Their voice T1 is costs almost half of everyone else’s price.

The Bad: Local lines, Internet, and long distance services are all under one bill, though billing may take time to get back to you if you have any problems. They didn’t have online billing until recently. Overall online support isn’t very hot, actually. Their FAQ is non-existent to very limited.

The Bottom Line: Time Warner Telecom is a decent service at very good prices. Tech support and customer service is satisfactory, but again they’re a smaller company so they may not have the staff needed to provide help efficiently. Also, nowhere in Time Warner’s SLA does it mention a speed guarantee, and we found the internet to be sluggish at peak times. It is also primarily a network for use by residential cable customers, so their ability to deliver true business class services is not as it should be.

Axxcelera Broadband Wireless

2008-05-02T16:53:00.002-05:00

Most recently known as SkyPipeline, Inc., this T1 service provider is another one of those smaller companies with only about 60 employees (as opposed to Qwest’s huge network). As such, their area of service is very limited to only a few counties in the western United States, mainly the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, San Diego County, and Las Vegas.

Compared to other companies, Axxcelera has a relatively cheap pricing plan at only $159 per month for a fractional T1 line and $349 for full T1 service. The company prides itself on providing “reliable, responsive, and personalized service” to its subscribers and this is reflected in their commitments, with 100% on throughput and data delivery, and 99.99% on on-net network availability. Their maximum latency is comparable to the best in the business with 50ms roundtrip, with a more moderate packet loss of less than 1%. Needless to say, the company offers the standard 4-hour restoration time should their system go down.

But the best part of this whole deal? Axxcelera promises to install your internet within 3-7 business days (not weeks), which is incredibly quick for a T1 line to be set up. Since they have a limited service area, I supposed this shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it’s still pretty incredible.

The good: Very cheap price for a dedicated T1 line. Although Axxcelera has fewer commitments than others, the ones they do offer are substantially good. The provisioning time is also within a week, which is far better than almost every other provider I’ve come across so far.

The bad: It’s a minute company with extremely limited range. As with most small companies, unless you live in their areas of service, don’t bother with calling their ordering number.

The bottom line: If you’re within the regions where they’re available, I would suggest giving Axxcelera a strong shot. It seems like a fairly good deal.

Qwest

2008-05-02T16:52:00.004-05:00

Chances are, you’ve heard of a little company called Qwest. Well, okay, they’re not exactly that little – they have over 40,000 employees – but that isn’t the point. What is the point here is whether such a company that’s been thriving for over a decade in the telecommunications industry is worth subscribing to.

And boy, is it.

For a modest fee of $475/month, you receive a fully dedicated 1.5Mbps T1 line with Qwest. The router and installation is included with your subscription (aka – it’s free), and it’s usually installed within a maximum time frame of 45 days. The company’s commitments are great, with a 99.9% guarantee for on-net and off-net network availability, data delivery, and throughput. Their maximum latency is better than most other providers, with a roundtrip time of 50ms, allowing for a maximum packet loss of only 0.05%. And, of course, you have the standard 4 hours maximum commitment for restoration.

This all sounds pretty good so far. It’s no wonder how they manage to keep over 6.5 million customers over their wide range of services.

But what's the downside? There are two major issues with Qwest:

The first issue is that Qwest is a complete and utter mess of a company and they have been for a very long time. Even though they have been improved over the past 10 years they are still a train wreck. One wonders if they even have a backoffice or if they're just winging it. This is a result of very poor upper management. Qwest could very well win the prize for being the most disorganized company in history. Their order forms are excessively complex and long, their contracts are a mess, their back office is a mess, and one hand has no idea what the other hand is doing. Billing is also a disaster. It is not uncommon for Qwest to bill and suspend customers on bill disputes and fees that the customer does not owe. Qwest cannot seem to cancel accounts even when they are notified correctly of cancellations. Qwest is also quick to grant credit to big promising "pie-in-the-sky" scam artist dot com companies that have ended up swindling them of tens of millions of dollars but then deny honest hardworking small businesses much needed credit.

The other issue is their maintenance. Though this may not affect many businesses, and Qwest does notify you if they need to, the company does state that their may be regular (albeit “occasional”) maintenance on their systems. They state that their maintenance window is usually between 3am and 7am of the customer’s local time, which shouldn’t get in the way of effective business, but you never know – yours may need to pull all-nighters to finish up a project. That’s really the only thing to keep in mind, especially with businesses dealing with multiple international relations.

The good: A decent, dedicated T1 line. Qwest provides a range of incredible commitments for a good monthly price. You get a free router and the installation of that router, and the package includes all the necessities of VoIP, shared hosting, etc.

The bad: Being a larger company, it may come as no surprise that some customers have spoken of “more” maintenance than usual. I guess that’s why they actually have a note in regards to their maintenance schedule, which might be a bad thing for a few businesses needing long, late shifts. Billing and back office is a disaster. If you can deal with these headaches and one hand not knowing what the other is doing, by all means use Qwest. If not, run, dont walk.

The bottom line: If you are a larger corporation who can deal with Qwest's shortcomings and want a good, well-known, stable provider, Qwest is the way to go. Seriously, 6.5 million members can’t be wrong.

On Ramp Access

2008-05-02T16:51:00.003-05:00

Chances are you’ve never even heard of OnRamp Access. Don’t worry, neither have I. But after digging up all the dirt I can find on this service provider, I can tell you there really isn’t that much to be dug up. OnRamp Access prides itself with over a decade of experience, and it seems to work; their commitments are higher than a majority of the providers out there.

At a fair price of about $399.95/month, you get a fully dedicated T1 line along with e-mail accounts that have a spam/virus filtering service. Their commitments are above par at 99.9% for on-net network availability and data delivery, 99.5% for off-net network availability, and 100% on throughput. The maximum latency, although not specifically guaranteed, stands at roughly 90ms while the maximum restoration time is at your standard four hours. The best thing of all, however, is that unlike most other service providers that require about 30 days for installation, OnRamp Access offers a provisioning date of only 5-7 days from time of purchase, with a maximum installation period of only 10 days. This will allow your company to get up and running at 1/3 the time of most other ISP’s provisioning contracts.

There are several bad aspects of OnRamp Access, though. First of all, some of the items that you would get along with your T1 service are not readily available with OnRamp Access. For example, you have to pay an additional $20 per month for web hosting. Also, should you want to cancel your service before the contract is up, you still have to pay 100% of the remaining contractual price. Did I mention that the company only has about 25 employees? Yeah, you heard correctly: 25 employees. But if you don’t believe me, this is what they officially state: “Onramp Access has 25 employees. The staff is comprised of a broadband sales team that handles Collocation, T1/T3, Dedicated Servers, a Web Site design/Development team, a fully manned Network Operations Center 24/7/365 and an Admin/Billing Department.”
How they have that many departments to handle everything with only 25 people boggles me, too.

The good: Good pricing for a decent T1 line – despite its small size, their product is not oversubscribed (much). OnRamp Access provides a good range of commitments and a very good provisioning time.

The bad: 25 employees. Seriously, I can’t figure it out. There’s got to be a drawback with that low number of paid workers.

The bottom line: OnRamp Access has a good, competitive price for its services. Although the provisioning timeframe sounds really good, I think there are plenty of other ISPs that are more solid than this one.

New Edge Networks

2008-05-02T16:49:00.002-05:00

New Edge Networks is another one of those small companies that provide a relatively consistent T1 internet service. Although they only have about 320 employees, they offer their T1 line to almost every state within the U.S. Their prices aren’t too shabby either – at approximately $419.95 per month. Also, if you happen to be in the cities of Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, or San Diego, New Edge Networks is offering a promotion where a two-year term for their T1 service will cost only $299/year and a one-year term for the service will cost $329. By the way, this internet is a full clear channel. It’s a pretty good deal if you live in any of these metropolitan areas.

New Edge Networks’ commitments are within the standards of the industry. Their commitments on data delivery, throughput, and network availabilities (both on- and off-net) are at 99.9%. The maximum restoration time is at the average four hours, and the maximum latency and packet loss are at a slightly better 55ms and .05, respectively, which beats out many other companies’ commitments.

The only real problem is, once again, being a smaller company, there are fewer employees and that spells fewer technicians and customer service representatives that are available if something goes wrong. Also, New Edge Networks has a slightly longer installation time range at 40 days rather than the standard 30 or less. These are things you might need to take into consideration for your business if you want it running faster and more reliably.

The good: Affordable price for the full, clear channel T1 line. New Edge Networks have a range of good commitments and if you’re lucky enough to be in one of the promotional cities, you can sign up to pay even less for the service.

The bad: Let’s do the math again: small ISP company = fewer workers = fewer customer service representatives and technicians. Should any trouble arise, it’s probably going to be a pain.

The bottom line: New Edge Networks is a decent deal even if you don’t live in one of the promotional cities for the discount. They don’t experience much downtime, if any at all, and your business will be operating as smoothly as it would with any other T1 service provider.

Megapath (Formerly Netifice, Epoch Internet)

2008-05-02T16:48:00.006-05:00

Since its merger with Megapath, Netifice (Formerly Epoch Internet) has become quite the reliable company (not to say it wasn’t reliable to begin with). They advertise themselves as a trustworthy T1 service provider that leading companies such as Eileen Fisher and Unos Chicago Grill utilize to operate their businesses.

Some history: When Netifice merged with Megapath, Megapath was absorbed, however the named was permenantly changed to Megapath for the benefit of better brand awareness. Previous to the Megapath-Netifice Merger, Netifice was originally a merger of Netifice and Epoch Internet. It should be noted that Epoch Internet was one of the original Tier One networks dating back to the early 1990s. If I am not mistaken their network was built new by WilTel Fiber. They were also the largest privately owned backbone in the US (not publicly traded). As a result, service and customer service was superior. Epoch Internet was easily the best performing backbone throughout the 1990s and this is well documented. This means Megapath is a tier one backbone and still retains some of the best connectivity around. Megapath is one of the few T1 providers left (aside from Sprint and Qwest) that can probably still provide a real Clear Channel T1 line if requested and not some oversubscribed frame junk. Complaints about the company or service before the merger were nonexistent, though since the merger some complaints have increased.

The Services: At an affordable price of about $421 per month, you get a whole network of goodies including a managed firewall and VoIP. To start, the installation and router are free, and you are guaranteed to have the equipment installed within 30 days of purchase.

Most of their commitments aren’t bad either. Netifice offers a maximum latency of 85 ms, a maximum packet loss of only 0.3%, and a 99.999% uptime availability. Should any of these commitments not be met, you will receive service credit in return. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

Of course, here come the drawbacks. Netifice does not provide commitments on everything, such as the throughput and scheduled downtime. Although there is a customer service department, Netifice only has about 300 employees, which immediately tells you that you’ll probably have to wait in line for a while if you call them. That might be bad for businesses that rely on the up-to-the-minute broadcasts for the smooth running of their trade.

The good: Affordable price for the reliable, clear channel T1 line. Relatively smooth internet that other well-known, respectable companies have come to rely upon. Good commitments in the areas where Netifice offers commitments.

The bad: Small ISP company = fewer employees = fewer service representatives and technicians. If you experience any trouble, you may find yourself waiting a while for support.

The bottom line: From the consensus of opinions and reviews, Netifice seems like a good company to subscribe to. It’s a relatively safe bet in terms of pricing and connectivity. And really, that’s all you could ask for.

MPower Communications

2008-05-02T16:46:00.002-05:00

MPower Communications is a limited T1 service provider that offers its services to California, Nevada, and Illinois. For a small $400 a month, you get a whole bunch of extras with your dedicated T1 line, including phone service (long distance and local) and integrated voice and data service. The company prides itself in offering a full 1.5Mbps internet service (and not one of those fractional, oversubscribed lines) and if you sign up for a three-year term, the installation is completely free (you will have to pay $350 if you sign up for any lesser term).

However, there are also many downsides to MPower Communications. Other than the obvious limited range of their service, there is also a total lack of commitments in regards to their T1. The price and speed might be good, but unless you live in one of the three states where the company’s internet is offered and you want to save yourself the trouble by putting your phone and internet bills into one pile, MPower is not too different from any other provider.

The good: Relatively low price that’s affordable for lots of businesses, with the speed you’d expect from a T1 line.

The bad: No noticeable service commitments. ‘Nuff said. (But just in case it wasn’t, it’s also extremely limited in service.)

The bottom line: If you’re in the region, sign up for this. The price you pay for the speed you get is excellent. And if you’re not in the area – well, keep searching.

Eschelon

2008-05-02T16:44:00.003-05:00

Founded in 1996, Eschelon Telecom, Inc. focuses on serving small to medium sized businesses in the western regions of North America (from Vancouver to Salt Lake City to Phoenix, etc.). The company has over 1,200 employees covering 23 markets in eight states and has been under the same leadership (and by extension, business formula and practices) since its inception.

The pricing isn’t too bad at around the $400 range for their dedicated T1 line. Along with the internet, you also receive email addresses, web hosting, web storage space, domain hosting, IP addresses, SMTP Relay, and other extras at no additional cost. They also have locally-based customer service in each of their primary metropolitan locations.

The downside? Eschelon Telecom, Inc. has very few commitments. The only ones they offer are 70ms on maximum latency, a maximum packet loss of 1%, a restoration time of four hours, and a data delivery commitment of 99.99% - nothing unique there. They also have a “disclaimer” in case their network goes down, stating that they infrequently “may need to perform an upgrade to hardware or software within [the] network. The scheduled maintenance window is 10 p.m. – 6 a.m. local market time.” That’s a little gray, wouldn’t you say so?

On the plus side, they must be doing something right if they claim businesses such as the American Heart Association and Columbia Sportswear utilize their system. Despite reservations, Eschelon may be reliable enough to get things moving.

The good: Many known companies use Eschelon as their provider – an indication of its worth.

The bad: Only optimal for small- to mid-sized businesses. There’s also a serious lack of service commitments.

The bottom line: To be honest, even with all the “bad” aspects of Eschelon, it doesn’t sound too horrible. If it’s reliable enough for some of these well-known businesses and manufacturers, it’s good enough for me.

One Communications

2008-05-02T16:43:00.002-05:00

Although One Communications prides themselves on being a company with a wealth of experience in business applications (well over 23 years’ worth), the recent mergers and dealings of this company poses a question of stability. But all other things aside, let’s examine how reliable their product is.

This is a moderate-sized company that provides services to roughly 38,000 customers and employs about 595 sales, technical, and support staff in 22 offices from Maine to New Jersey. For this company, expect to pay upwards from $499 for a full dedicated T1 line. Their services are available within Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, Pennsysvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

There’s nothing really exceptional about this company. Their commitments are within the average range with 55ms latency, 99.99% packet delivery, and 99.99% network availability – most providers will offer the same. There are also no mention of any reimbursement if their network experiences technical troubles; the only guarantee that is specifically offered is a 90 day guarantee following installation where you may be reimbursed for the installation charges of switching back to your previous provider if you are not satisfied with One Communications’ T1 line. From some reviews gathered from several customers, it seems their limited lines may be oversubscribed, and you will be paying the full price for fractional service.

Essentially, One Communications is like vanilla: nothing special – just the plain services that are enough to get you operational.

The good: The price isn’t too bad. Neither is the latency, which may actually be slightly better than a lot of other providers.

The bad: Limited service to just the northeast. Also has a high potential of being oversubscribed.

The bottom line: This one is really up to you. If you’re in an area where there are few companies and you doubt it’ll be too oversubscribed for the price you’ll pay, go for it. If not, there’s a whole market of other providers to choose from.

Covad

2008-05-02T16:42:00.002-05:00

Covad is one of those stable and efficient companies you can trust; what other company will offer invoice credit if they can’t guarantee a 99.99% monthly uptime for their service? Covad even adheres to sending out repair technicians and experts on weekends and holidays to keep your business running. That, my friend, is immediately a good proposition.

If you order the T1 service from Covad, you can expect a dedicated T1 line from them. Installation is done in as early as two weeks (and not to exceed 30 days from the day you placed your order) and the routers will only cost you the tax of the product price (depending on which router you choose and which state you live in). That being said, they provide service in just about every corner of the United States, and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg (prices roughly reach up to a moderate $519/month).

Their commitments are decent as well. Covad offers the average four hour limit for restoration time should there be a service outage and as stated before, their on-net network availability is at 99.99%; if any of these expectations are not met, you will receive credit on your next invoice.
However, as with any company, there are a few downsides. Covad’s commitment on their service’s latency is slightly poorer than others, set at 110 ms. They also offer no commitment on packet loss or throughput, which may make some wonder.

But even if you are wary, there’s no problem in giving it a try; Covad offers a 30-day guarantee in which you can decide for yourself whether their service is worth it. If it turns out it isn’t the right provider for you, they will refund everything and discontinue your service agreement without further obligation. How’s that for you?

The good: Good price for good service. You can find it almost anywhere in the United States, so you needn’t worry about your business location. The 30-day “test trial” is a definite plus, too.

The bad: Lacking in commitments in a couple of areas, but truth be told, it’s not really a big deal.

The bottom line: If you’re looking for a T1 service, I’d recommend Covad. The many good factors outweigh the few negatives for this company.

Cbeyond Communications

2008-05-02T16:41:00.002-05:00

Founded in 1999, Cbeyond Communications is a T1 service provider aimed towards small businesses. Their motto is to “deliver ‘big business’ communications services to small business customers at prices they could afford.”

Their service provides everything a business would need to operate at peak efficiency, including six landlines (or a combination of landlines and mobile lines), a minimum of 1,500 long distance minutes, unlimited email accounts with spam blocker and virus protection, enhanced web hosting with 1.5 GB of storage, and the T1 internet service itself. The price is reasonable as well, starting at only $495/month.

Does this sound good to you? I’ll bet it does. But here come the downsides, and there are quite a bunch of them:

First, Cbeyond Communications’ services are extremely limited, only operating in several select cities (Atlanta, Denver, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Detroit). They are also questionable in their commitments, as they don’t provide the information upfront and are careful in avoiding any position in respect to their service’s performance at all.

Secondly, from the information they do provide, you can probably figure out their T1 line is not a fully dedicated 1.5Mbps service. They only tell you that your line may receive up to 1.5Mbps via the T1, but it’s not guaranteed. Seeing that they operate in major cities and are geared towards smaller businesses, it would be a safe bet to note their lines may be oversubscribed. If you are indeed a small business, the reduced speed may not affect you as much; however, if you’re a larger business, this is definitely not a service that seems appealing.

The good: Relatively low costs – and that’s about it. Those additional goodies that they offer with your line are usually the standard in the business, and you will be able to get them from most other providers as well.

The bad: Extremely limited regions of service – it’s only offered in less than a dozen cities across the United States. Only small businesses profit from the reduced costs due to the potentially reduced speeds – but even then, it may be better to just go with DSL.

The bottom line: Skip it. This company isn’t too promising. There are just too many factors involved that spell out a bad agreement… did I also mention it’s a 3-year contractual agreement?

Cavalier

2008-05-02T16:40:00.003-05:00

Cavalier Telephone is a limited telecommunications company that serves residents and businesses in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

With only a bit over 1,000 employees, Cavalier offers decent performance in its T1 service, with a maximum latency of 80ms and a peak packet loss of 0.05%. Their commitment on service restoration is better than most other providers, requiring a maximum of only three hours; if there is an outage, Cavalier will return .33% of your monthly credit for one hour of downtime and .67% for four hours.

Expect roughly two to three weeks for them to install your T1 if you choose Cavalier’s service, with a maximum provisioning time of 45 days. Their pricing is relatively in the inexpensive range, starting at $350 and up, which is great for any business. From several reports, there doesn’t seem to be any oversubscribing and you will get the full T1 service bandwidth for the price.

Of course, you can also expect to receive VoIP applications with your voice and data network. Should you need it, you can also utilize your very own domain hosting. Being a smaller, regionalized provider, you can also look forward to plenty of local support if it becomes necessary.

Although there isn’t really any problems with the comparatively new company, the fact that it’s smaller means you can’t exercise their decent services unless you reside within their limited range. Sorry to all the people outside the centralized eastern region.

The good: Low costs for good performance and speeds. Customer support is a plus, and technicians usually take only a couple of days to respond to any distinct on-location problems. Very ethusiastic and supportive sales team.

The bad: Very limited regions of service – you’ll only find them in five states and District of Columbia.

The bottom line: If you’re within their service areas, it’s a good choice for your business. A low price for a good product… what more can you ask for?

PCCW Global

2008-05-02T16:39:00.002-05:00

Operating in over 70 countries and 700 cities, PCCW Global is an international powerhouse that spans their services conveniently across the United States, Europe, and Asia (with some provisions in the Middle East and parts of Africa as well). With several headquarters within their areas of service, they can offer local support to businesses in need. This far-reaching capability is good for a multitude of businesses, from the ones in smaller neighborhoods to larger companies working in multiple locations in different time zones.

The general consensus of the average cost for their T1 line appears to be roughly $500 – within the mid range of T1 costs. They provide trouble-free one-stop solution for Internet access and router equipment provisioning within most cities, and you can opt for Voice-over-IP and Video-over-IP (although at a small cost). The internet connection is reliable for the most part, but that simply means you won’t experience much downtime, if any.

That, however, doesn’t mean you’ll receive the full T1 capacity. They’re very careful to say that the speeds may be “64 Kbps up to 2 Mbps” with the “maximum speed varying in different countries.” Depending on where you’re located, it can be oversubscribed, leaving you and everyone else with reduced bandwidth. For $500 per month, you may want to consider if this is worth it. And, as stated, that cost doesn’t give you additional services with the internet connection.

The good: International businesses will find that the ability to remain connected across the globe under a single service is always easier to manage.

The bad: The pricing is fair, but only if you’re in an area that probably won’t be oversubscribed with users. If you’re located in a major city, it’s a safe bet that your bandwidth will be limited. Also, additional services that are offered free by other T1 providers will cost you extra with PCCW Global.

The bottom line: This is really up to you. If you find that you can make use of PCCW Global’s international connectivity and the bandwidth isn’t really going to affect you much in your (hopefully) smaller area, then go for it. Otherwise, you’ve been warned.

Deltacom

2008-05-02T16:38:00.002-05:00

Deltacom, Inc. is a relatively small telecommunications company containing 375,000 access lines run by 2,000 employees. Even so, they’re able to provide service to even the largest of companies, as their range of operations primarily covers only eight states in the Southeast.

So, if you’re in one of those places (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee), you’re in luck. Deltacom offers their T1 service at a lower price than most, with a full T1 line starting at around $345 for a 1.5Mbps connection. In addition to the internet, you’ll also receive up to 5,000 free minutes per T1 for your calling purposes or 100 free minutes per Voice Channel on long distance per month. For that, you can use up to 24 lines. Did I mention they also offer unlimited LATA wide calling?

If you’re still not satisfied with those extra services, then maybe the free custom domain name that comes along with your purchase will appeal to you. Oh, and you’ll get up to six static IP addresses and up to 30 email boxes to mess around with.

That’s the good part. Now comes the bad: there’s bandwidth allocation. Deltacom states that “when your voice lines are not in use, an entire T-1 of bandwidth is available for your data transmission.” Essentially, although you are receiving a dedicated T1 service, the amount that you spend using their other services will affect the performance of your internet. This may pose a problem with larger businesses. Other than that, you should have little to no problems performance-wise.

The good: Low pricing and a whole bunch of other additional services. It’s a pretty good gift basket.

The bad: No noticeable commitments. Allocation may be a problem within large companies utilizing Deltacom’s services.

The bottom line: If you’re a small- to mid- sized business within the available states, this may be the choice for you. It’s low-priced, so it won’t strain your budget, and the only “oversubscribing” problem you may face is from inside your own company, which shouldn’t be an issue for your smaller setting.

Birch Telecom

2008-05-02T16:37:00.001-05:00

Birch Telecom is one of the smaller companies whose main consumer base is small- to mid-sized businesses. Serving only about 130,000 customers in 12 states, Birch has experienced some rough grounds over the past few years. The company entered bankruptcy in late 2005 and has slowly been able to reemerge from that state. Through renewed relationships with other carriers such as AT&T and Qwest, and a key agreement with Covad Communications, Birch Telecom is regaining its momentum once again.

But what does that spell for you, the potential consumer? It’s hard to say. There is a lack of performance information regarding its T1 service as the company tries to reestablish itself, which continues until late 2007, so there isn’t a guarantee in that regard. However, it is one of the cheaper options out there, and prides itself on providing a dedicated 1.544 Mbps connection “for less than most businesses pay for a fractional T1,” normally ranging around $400 per month.

In addition, you’ll also receive up to 100 email addresses for your usage, each containing 50Mb of mailbox capacity. You’ll get up to five public IP addresses for your business as well. And if you’re experiencing service problems within the first 60 days and it can’t be fixed or restored to your satisfaction, Birch Telecom will cover the costs of switching back to a previous provider, should you wish.

With that said, there are problems with Birch Telecom’s T1 service. As you can expect, the lower price of their service probably means you’re getting shortchanged on their product. Although the company states you’ll be receiving a dedicated line, it also puts in a clause that states you could get “up to a full T1 of bandwidth” – be wary, as this possibly indicates (although they won’t tell you) that their service is oversubscribed. Essentially, you may be paying for a fractional T1 service at the fractional price, even though their claim is that you’ve been offered a full T1 line.

Also notice that Birch Telecom’s satisfaction guarantee only covers the initial 60 days. In the beginning, they really want to reel you in to keep their service for the full contract. But after that? Well, I’ve read reports and comments that spoke of the company’s lousy customer service. Many times, if you have a problem, it’s going to remain unresolved. So save yourself some distress and don’t anticipate much help from them – that way, you’ll feel better when it happens.
Oh, and the T1 service is still only offered in 12 states in the southeastern part of the U.S. So unless you live in that region, don’t bother.

The good: Not much. The additional features may appeal to some, but the primary service itself may make you wonder.

The bad: A lot. The price may look good, but with the possibility of being oversubscribed, you may as well pay for an overpriced cable modem. Customer service is reported to be abysmal.

The bottom line: Just don’t subscribe to Birch Telecom’s service if you can help it. They offer awful guarantees (if they can even be considered as such), and you’ll most likely not get what you expected.

Level 3

2008-05-02T16:36:00.001-05:00

As with the merger of BellSouth into AT&T, Level 3 Communications has acquired Broadwing Corporation. Offering a wide range of additions to their T1 package, from managed network services to their famed Voice over IP, their product provides all the little things you’ll need to run your business.

Level 3 continues the former Broadwing’s guarantee of 50 ms maximum latency with a not-so-great packet loss assurance of less than 1% (it may not affect you much here, but you can find better if you wanted).

Unfortunately, other than the low delay and the promise of multiple services with your T1, Level 3 doesn’t have many other good qualities. Their other guarantees offer themselves plenty of leeway and keep you hoping for the best. For instance, they state that they usually install your connection within 30 days, but if you examine the whole agreement, they’ve included the clause that this happens “most” of the time – there’s no actual overall guarantee, as each consumer’s order may vary in terms of the installation date. Their pricing follows a similar trend, in that the cost of their service may differ from one location to another. There’s no mention of a typical price range, although I would suggest you expect to pay in the mid to high end for average T1 service if you go with them. For the extras they offer, maybe it’ll be worth it for you.

Level 3 does provide a network map, where you can see whether they offer T1 service in your area. Mostly, their product is available within the major cities of the United States, so don’t expect to sign up if you reside somewhere in the upper Midwest.

Oh, and one last word of caution. Although you can choose the time frame in your contract (normally between 1 to 3 years), there is a high termination fee should you cancel before the deal is up. This could include 50% of the port charge and 100% of the local loop.

The good: Level 3, in continuing Broadwing’s specialties, provide a broad range of additional services for your use. Their connection isn’t too bad either.

The bad: Suspicious pricing and other guarantees. Basically, they give themselves room for error and argument.

The bottom line: Unless you really want to support Level 3 Communications, I would recommend another provider. There are just too many gray areas in their contract.

Bell South

2008-05-02T16:35:00.001-05:00

If you’re searching for information on BellSouth, look no further than the review on AT&T. Why? Because via a merger in 2006, AT&T has acquired BellSouth; soon, BellSouth will be renamed AT&T South and you can expect it to be on par with the standards of AT&T’s original T1 service. As you may have heard from slogans and advertisements, this is what they mean when “BellSouth is now the new AT&T.”

Like its counterparts, BellSouth offers your typical T1 with a 1.544 Mbps of bandwidth. Its commitments on performance are slightly better than AT&T’s; at a packet loss of less than 0.5% and maximum latency of 55 ms, you can expect a smooth connection. Should anything happen to your line, they guarantee that the maximum time required to restore service is four hours, which is the usual stand on the part of most T1 service providers. Best of all, if there is any downtime or if any of their commitments are not met, you’ll get credit attributed to your account. For the most part, this is a portion of the recurring monthly charges that they’ll return to you and will be reflected in your invoice.

The drawbacks? Although BellSouth prides itself on servicing over 44 million customers in 15 countries, its T1 service is limited to only nine states within the southeastern region of the U.S. This means that if you don’t live in any of those states (they being Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee), don’t bother delving any further. Save yourself some time and hit up another T1 provider.

Also, for the slightly better commitments on performance, you’re looking at a higher price range. BellSouth’s T1 service ranges from $550 - $900 a month, which may pose a problem for smaller businesses on strict budgets. On average, expect to be paying near the high end of the range for a dedicated 1.5 Mbps line. Occasionally, BellSouth will have promotions that vary with their contracts, but don’t hold your breath.

If those prices weren’t enough, the consultation and troubleshooting services included with your package are limited. You’ll receive the simplest maintenance advice and help for free, but any other support beyond that is extra and will cost you upwards of a few hundred dollars per hour. It seems you won’t get much for your money other than the standard connection.

To sum it up:

The good: Slightly better performance than many other T1 providers, and appears stable enough by business standards.

The bad: Everything comes down to price. Even if you’re within the region where BellSouth is available, anything beyond their costly internet line requires additional fees.

The bottom line: BellSouth isn’t for everyone. If you’re a smaller business, I’d suggest another provider. Their telephone service might be exceptional, but their T1 connection isn’t really anything spectacular.

AT&T

2008-05-02T16:34:00.002-05:00

With a multitude of companies launching their T1 services, the well-established AT&T has its own foray into the market. But does being an established telecommunications company translate into a better product?

AT&T advertises itself as a “multi-faceted company with a storied past that is number 15 on the Fortune 500 list” with a “superior quality network, top-rated reliability, and excellent customer service.” Of course, no company is ever going to discuss its downsides, so you should always consider a wide range of opinions from outside sources and not just the testimonials on the company’s official site.

So what can you really expect if you purchase AT&T’s T1 service? Well, the truth is, AT&T’s T1 lines are actually quite stable. You get what you should from a dedicated T1 service. A fast connection coupled with the option of placing up to 23 phone lines with long distance service could save your business plenty of funds over the long run. Best of all, the T1 service is available almost everywhere within the United States, as opposed to their limited DSL service. They provide a performance guarantee for the latency to be under 60 ms at all times and a packet loss of less than 0.7%.

In addition, you’ll receive other bonuses with your T1 connection, including teleconferencing services, voice over IP, and shared web hosting – all the mainstays that are vital to business. Best of all, this entire package comes at a reasonable price range of $459 - $700 per month.Then what’s the problem, you ask? There must be a catch… and, of course, there is. It’s not really an issue of the technical aspects of their T1 service. It runs well and for the most part, their guaranteed 24/7 connection is admirable. The problem is that things do happen, regardless of what is being guaranteed, and you may occasionally experience problems with your line or other features. When that happens, you’ll need to contact their customer service, which is where you’ll experience the most frustration with your order. Although the representative may be friendly, their knowledge of the system and repertoire of answers is limited; this means they may or may not be able to help you fix your service expediently. A technician may be required to physically look at your end. This could cost time and money on the part of your business, as the downtime affects your ability to conduct your work.

So what have we learned today?

The good: AT&T is offered in most areas at a moderate price range, with low delay and packet loss. You get nice additional features with your T1 service as well.

The bad: Don’t expect customer service to be able to readily fix any problem you may experience with your connection, if any.

The bottom line: AT&T delivers a good service and meets the needs of businesses. The line will run smoothly for as far as can be foreseen, but pray that it stays that way.

Startup businesses: What broadband solution do you need for your company?

2008-04-25T20:45:00.001-05:00

Startup businesses:

What broadband solution do you need for your company?

When your company is on the rise, and you’re thinking of getting Internet Business DSL? Cable? T1? How does one decide? I know some of you out there haven’t gotten around to subscribing an Internet service, yet. It’s a business move, and you want to make the best choice. What you decide on you will be stuck with, and in a contract for a very long time.

The market place is as diverse as the kinds of Internet service options available. I have had previous articles to help you decide on whether or not to upgrade your T1, and how to choose the service right for you. I will briefly explain which Internet connection would be best suited for your company, big or small.

For companies, such as gas stations and service stations, that need broadband to upload processing orders and credit card purchases, SDSL or ADSL with a static IP would be sufficient. DSL is fast enough to process the information in a timely manner, but won’t break the bank for station owners, and can be deployed across hundreds of locations and use MPLS or VPN as well to communicate with headquarters. Restaurants, cafes, and bars all need to handle the same types of purchase processing would also benefit from a connection of at least cable or ADSL, but I’d recommend SDSL. So think about it, whether you own and operate a mom and pop shop or a franchise chain, if you have to handle things like credit card processing, you’d need something ranging between cable and SDSL is optimal.

Well, the debate between cable and DSL transcends the business world. Regular home users have debated the question. One instance where you’d opt for cable would be for a business that needs fast uploads to send mail with attachments. An example of a company that would need cable is a real estate company. The reason is because cable can upload faster than DSL in many cases. If you are security conscious, DSL is a better alternative if the speed is acceptable because it is a private connection to the Internet whereas Cable is on a big LAN therefore far less secure and your computer systems are more easily able to be hacked.

Now for heavy duty Internet needs, T1 will have to be considered. Stock trading firms, medical offices, banks, and other such companies that need to send large files quickly and reliably need T1 or greater as a necessity. Medical offices, for example, need T1 for sending important medical data, like MRIs and records. Bonded T1 is even better if files are huge. Media companies, like recording studios or video production companies, need a minimum of SDSL or T1, but T3 is best because they have to send terabytes worth of files. Cable and ADSL are extremely advised against as they cannot provide the considerable upload speeds needed for a professional media company. That includes Business Cable as well, which costs the same as SDSL but is far inferior.
Also keep in mind that T1 and T3 have nifty features like VoIP and multiple phone lines to support medium-sized to large-sized offices. If Metro Ethernet exists in your area or you are in a "Lit Building" (a building that already has fiber preinstalled from a ISP or phone company), you may be able to get Ethernet service from some carriers, which has speeds up to 100 megabits, and can be relatively far cheaper than a T1 and faster to install, so you should check for the availability of Metro Ethernet if you require massive bandwidth for your organization. Every product has their bells and whistles, but first think about what your basic needs are and go from there.

Finding the best price for a T1 line

2008-04-25T20:44:00.004-05:00

Finding the best price for a T1 line – Best Bang for Your Buck

What to look for and know how to look for it

Decisions… Decisions…

There are so many different Internet Service Providers out there that can provide a T1 service to you. Where do you even begin to choose?

DISTANCE

First thing to look for is who is close to you. The loop price varies due to distance to nearest point of presence (POP).

A business T1 circuit is repeater driven (repeaters reestablishing the digital signal every several thousand feet), it is available pretty much anywhere we want. Reestablishing a signal is duplicating the original signal perfectly at lightning quick speeds, so the quality of the signal is not hurt by the distance. Each time the signal is reestablished, there is a cost. There is also a cost for the facilities used when carrying the signal from the pop. Because of this, distance between the POP and the number of times that the signal has to be reestablished can affect pricing. This is why running a T1 line to a customer in a remote area will cost that customer a lot more than someone in a big city with a built-in infrastructure.

PORT CHARGES

Second of all, decide on how you want your service to be measured. A T1 is consists of a local loop connecting your location with the Tier 1 carrier’s backbone. The use of this network requires a port charge. A port charge is a charge for the connection to and use of the physical network port, burstable to the full capacity of the network. Typical port charges will range between $550/month to $1000/month. After taking distance and the number of loops into account, your bill can be lower or higher depending on how you want your T1 services billed.

1. Metered rates depend on how much usage you may incur on your T1 line. If you need the dependability and performance of a T1 line, but don’t think you’ll be using the bandwidth heavily, then this may be the route for you. Metered means your usage is monitored and you are responsible for any overages. There is a base monthly fee, plus a per MB charge for any data transfer beyond that base amount. Similar to the way cell phone minutes work. Metered pricing is usually the best choice for users that require speed, but light usage. Even so, metered rates are seldom used because of the better options of burstable and flat rates. Many times, flat rates are actually cheaper than this option.

2. Burstable rates, also called “burstable billing”, allows you to select more channels than you actually pay for. This rate allows you to “burst” up to the speed of a full T1 when in use, but keeps your bandwidth at a, otherwise, lower speed. This works by supplying a burstable T1 line. You only pay for 256kbps, but you’re allowed to “burst” at full T1 speeds periodically. At the end of each month, the billing company will drop the highest 5% bandwidth used and charge you for the rest. A burstable rate is offered on any connection over 128kpbs, and is very cost effective giving while providing you with a full T1.

3. Flat rates are pretty much what it sounds like. It’s a fixed charge regardless of use up to the maximum capacity. The most common in broadband access to the Internet in the USA and most other countries.

EQUIPMENT

The type of equipment used can increase your Internet bill. Equipment from companies like Cisco and Netopia can give you a variety of service options at extra costs. Many times such equipment will be provided by the Local ISP and it should fit your requirements. Extra features like VPN, firewalls, Frame Relay, VoIP, ATM, etc. may require a lot of hardware. Determine if you need all of those options. You can always add on services later down the line when you need them, but it may take time to install. Needless to say, all these extras will go towards your bill, especially if you rent out certain things, like the router. Pricing and options on equipment will usually be provided when you request quotes.

VOIP on Cell Phones

2008-04-25T20:39:00.004-05:00

VOIP on Cell Phones

Great, the information superhighway has people talking on cell phones now.

A quickly developing technology in the telecom world today is VoIP over cell phones. The days where you had to shell out a large sum of money to make a long-distance call, or international long distance call are over. VoIP helps you save almost 40% of your calling costs. VoIP phones (a.k.a. Internet phone service) require the Internet to function. Your voice which is the analog signal format is sent via Internet after it is converted into small digital packets. These digital packets are then reconverted into analog signal format before they reach the final destination. Companies like Skype Technologies, a unit of eBay, are leading the way for this new technology. Skype’s mobile VoIP application already runs on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software. Iskoot is also working with Skype to allow users to make or receive Internet calls on their mobile phones. Many instant messenger services also have built-in VoIP service. AIM, by AOL, has a VoIP service offered at $14.95/month for unlimited calls. Windows Live Messenger offers their VoIP service in cooperation with Verizon.

Avi Shechter and his team recently launched Fring, a peer-to-peer VoIP service that carries calls over cell-phone networks; not unlike the way PC-based Internet telephony services transport conversations over Wi-Fi or fixed-line broadband connections. It allows you to fill your contact list with other Fring users, or friends on other services, such as Skype. You can download the 200K-byte application to your handset for free. Fring is trying to widen the choice of handset compatibility by enabling the application to run on other operating systems as well, including Microsoft’s Windows Mobile. The problem with Fring, though, is that you may incur “roaming charges” when you make cross network calls, i.e. Fring to Skype users.

As of right now, there are two types of long-distance phone service available: paid service and free Internet phone service. There are a number of VoIP service providers offering Internet phone service free of charge. You can easily search for a provider giving free phone service and then download the dialer from their website. Dial the number with the proper country or area code, and voila! You’re connected like on a regular phone.

VoIP telephone service on cell phones is offered with VoIP built in, or usable through the use of installed applications. Many VoIP services are offered over Java-enabled mobile phones. You just need to install the company’s mobile VoIP application on a phone with Java features and you’re done. VoIP providers like Mino and Skype are leading the way in VoIP technology, which is widely popular in Europe.

There is a program called VoipBuster that is “free”. You just have to register an account, set up your phone’s Internet access point, and enjoy free VoIP phone calls on your cell phone. Charges will vary depending on your data plan, but if you’ve got Wi-Fi set up at home and/or work, then you’ll enjoy free VoIP phone calls. VoipBuster also allows you to make some free calls to landlines and cells, but I really don’t know the specifics as to how long you can talk, or how many of these calls you can make. The rates are supposedly low if you decide to go with the paid service to call these lines.Other VoIP providers offer services for a monthly price, and with per call charges. The problem with monthly fees is that consumers are already paying a monthly fee for a cell phone service. Consumers would have to be asked to pay another monthly charge, plus per-minute fees on top of the one they are already paying for using the same cell phone. One thing to keep in mind is that companies, like T-Mobile International AG & Co. KG, have banned the use of VoIP over its networks. Other operators may also introduce measures to block access to virtual mobile VOIP service providers, like Fring, that use their mobile data networks without commercial agreements. To offset any lost voice revenue from the switch to IP, such operators could charge a specific VOIP subscription fee, or offer a more expensive data package service fee for using VOIP or even bundle additional services for a higher fee. Telephone operators have invested far too much money in licenses, equipment and customer acquisition to not put up a fight. Like fixed-line telephone providers that first fought, and then adopted VOIP services, mobile operators must now deal with a technology that could radically change their business models. For obvious reasons, mobile phone companies are going to want to protect their huge telephone service revenues against new providers of VoIP-over-mobile services. VoIP services can cost as low as US$0.02/ minute for international calls compared to the $1/minute traditional mobile providers charge. It’s no surprise standard mobile companies are worried. I’ve always stated that VoIP is going to be one of the biggest developments in telecommunications. It’s here to stay.

We’ll have to wait and see how the drama plays out between the VoIP companies and mobile telephone service providers.To read up more about VoIP, please read my three part blog:

VoIP Telephony [ Part 1 Part 2 Part3 ]

Team Fortress 2 General things to know if you want to host your own server, and a quick review!

2008-04-25T20:26:00.002-05:00

Team Fortress 2
General things to know if you want to host your own Team Fortress 2 TF2 server, and a quick review!

(I’m going to take a break from the usual Telecom/T1articles and throw in one for fun. If you don’t play video games, or you’re not interested in this article, don’t read this article and simply enjoy my past articles.)

After nearly ten years after it was first announced, and many failed designs, the Valve Corporation has finally released Team Fortress 2. I’ve been playing it since the first week of Beta and I have to say, the game is more fun than words can explain. For those of you who don’t know, Team Fortress 2 is a multiplayer team-based FPS (First Person Shooter). The original Team Fortress was a free mod created with the Quake game engine. Team Fortress 2, or TF2 as the Internet crowd fondly calls it, was also originally supposed to be free until the Valve Corporation came in to employ the development team behind the game. A simple port of the original Quake Team Fortress game was released under the name Team Fortress Classic (TFC), to buy time as the sequel was being developed.As this happened, an entirely new game called Team Fortress 2 was being developed with features that sounded a lot like what would appear in the Electronic Arts’ “Battlefield” franchise (Battlefield 1942, Battlefield 2, etc). All news on the game abruptly ended and news about the game and its release came and went several times. During a July 2006 Electronic Arts conference, Valve announced that Team Fortress 2 would be released with Half-Life 2: Episode Two. The beta version of the game was available in the Orange Box pre-sale package September 17, 2007 on Steam, followed by the official release of Orange Box on October 10, 2007.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HOSTING:

Since this game is designed for 24 players in a server (some servers may set their max at 32 players), you’re going to need a decent system and broadband provider to play efficiently. For those of you who want to run a server, you’re going to need to look into the various companies that offer servers to host your personal or clan server.The most important thing for a server is its ping and stability.

When players search for a game, they want to find the server with the best latency. Once they decide which server to join, they’ll play and will stay if the server runs the game without any chocks, lag or lockups. If it’s a personal server and you’re hosting the game on an Ethernet connection, like say, out of a PC Gaming place or for a LAN party, it would be recommended to at least have Cable or DSL. With that being said, you shouldn’t expect to be able to host more than one server, and it may lag for anyone connecting out of the actual LAN.

The best bet for you if you wanted a consistent, dedicated server is to rent out server with 100 ticks, and a solid T1 line. If you want better than a T1 line, you should go for a 100 Meg fast Ethernet line at a collocation data center. Ask the host provider if their T1 lines or Ethernet lines are oversubscribed. An oversubscribed line can lead to lag and other problems that will make your server less desirable to other players. Find out the subscription ratio. 2:1 ratio or less is best. The prices may range between $50 to $100 dollars depending on what hosting company you decide to go with. Remember to compare different plans and the different features each company offers. Some may offer multiple servers in their price, whereas some may only provide one. Plus, see if you can get an SLA to guarantee quality of service. You don’t want to sign a contract and not have any protection against a shady hosting company. You’re paying for a dedicated service and your game should have continuous streaming.

You should also think about whether or not you want people on the other side of the country connecting to your server. Many servers ping over 100 or more to players in Los Angeles if the host is in New York. The ping may range between 300-700 if someone in Los Angeles was to connect to a server in London, or vice versa. I remember the days when I used dial-up to play video games, and 150 ping was pretty good, but anything over 100 will get complaints from gamers nowadays. A good hosting provider will have low ping guarantees for roundtrip packet times across the country which should be detailed in their SLA agreement. The lower ms the better. Networks with good peering should be highly considered. Good peering arrangements on the ISP’s network will guarantee good playability for everyone regardless of where they are located and what network they are on. I’ve even seem some servers ask for donations to keep it up and running. That may be an option for you if your server is highly popular. Assuming some of the visitors of your server actually donate, you can save some cash.

QUICK REVIEW OF THE GAME:

The designers of the game seem to have everything perfectly balanced. Spawn camping, a problem with many FPS games, is difficult to accomplish for long. Team classes also have counter-classes (i.e. Pyro counter spy, but spy counters engineers, etc) so that no one class is the dominating class. In fact, this is a game where even if you’re not being Rambo by single-handedly taking out the opposing team, you can still feel like you’re contributing big; either by healing as a medic, providing defense with sentry guns as an engineer, or scouting as a spy from behind the enemy. Valve really emphasized the “team” in Team Fortress. Personally, I think this game is off the hook. One problem with the game is its little number of maps, but Valve assures us that they are working on new maps. The cartoony style that resembles that of Disney/Pixar’s “The Incredibles” really gives a fun atmosphere when you play. I can go on and on about this game that was 9 years in the making.Will this beat Counter-Strike (another game that was originally a free mod that Valve bought rights to) in popularity? I don’t know, Counter-Strike was ridiculously popular, and still has a huge fan base. I think Team Fortress will hold its own, though. After being one of the most highly anticipated games for 9 years and still not disappoint, Valve has another winner in its hands.

If you play, you can visit my clan’s ([Comrade]) server New York server hosted by Nationwidebandwidth.com.

67.90.47.47:27015

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:Minimum: 1.7 GHz Processor, 512MB RAM, DirectX® 8 level Graphics Card, Windows® Vista/XP/2000, Mouse, Keyboard, Internet ConnectionRecommended: Pentium 4 processor (3.0GHz, or better), 1GB RAM, DirectX® 9 level Graphics Card, Windows® Vista/XP/2000, Mouse, Keyboard, Internet Connection

Price Shopping for a T1 Line

2007-10-20T00:48:00.003-05:00

Price Shopping for a T1 Line

Don’t Buy on Price Alone!

All my past blogs on different types of T1 services, how it’s delivered, and what to look for in the service have come down to this: How to shop for a T1 line. I have said few times that you should do your homework and research before making a decision on which service best suits your needs.

Let me ask you a question: When you buy a car, would you go for the cheaper, older vehicle or the higher-priced, more reliable model?

Depending on your needs and your resources, you’d have to take the time to think it over, dig up information on the products, and weigh your options.

So why can’t you just have one product with everything you want? Well, even though you can, having an all-in-one package does cost money. Just look at all those new and expensive “all-in-one” gadgets like the iPhone. That principle applies everywhere, and T1 providers aren’t any different. Except instead of looking at how many miles are on the car, or if a phone has a built-in MP3 player, you’re looking at the type of T1 line and service you’re getting (eg. Bonded T1, Burstable T1, etc.).

Prices vary, but it’s a sure bet that a T1 Line is going to run anywhere between $400 to well over $1,000 per month; occasionally, you may come upon a deal for a lower price. If you’re going to spend that much for Internet, make sure you look at every factor before you spend your cash. Simply choosing the cheapest may not be wise. Here we go again: “You get what you pay for.” Let’s look at some of the things you should pay attention to.

Location

This is a given. Before you even begin to consider the other factors involved, you need to see whether the company can provide a line to your site. Some providers only offer their services in the major cities like Los Angeles and New York, while others are regional/coastal providers that only offer service within a certain state or district. You must make sure the service is available within your area before moving on to the next items. The most critical factor of price is determined by your distance from the T1 Providers POP (Point of Presence), prices for a T1 line will vary simply because your distance to each T1 Provider is different.

Quality

Just because it’s a T1 Service and you receive a dedicated 1.5Mbps line doesn’t mean that’s the end of it. You have to look for other factors, including but not limited to maximum latency and restoration time. You may want to look for providers that commit to a low maximum latency, which can vary from 50 to 100+ ms. Remember to check the providers’ CIRs to guarantee your available bandwidth. Many companies will offer credit if the latency peaks past this ceiling, and you should see what that credit is. Carefully make sure all of the details are written in your SLA, and do request monitoring reports. If you operate a business, restoration time may be the more important factor. The success of a trade or negotiation depends on proper processing, access, and communication so you need to look out for the downtime, which could heavily disrupt that flow. The maximum time needed for T1 Providers to repair their system and your connection should be no more than four hours. Make sure they guarantee such commitment in their SLAs and know what is offered (credit or otherwise) if this isn’t met. Check to see if you have an oversubscribed line, and that the good bandwidth ratio is good if it is. These are necessary things to look into to ensure you get the most reliable service possible.

Service and Support

Is the company’s support line operating 24/7? Will they keep you on hold forever? Can their staff communicate to resolve problems? Will they take a long time? Often times, a business will need to lapse into overtime to complete any given work, and problems can arise. If they did, would the provider’s service number be available? Is there going to be a representative on the other end to guide you through the issue, or do their support technicians only work during regular business hours on weekdays? How about when outages happen? Does that mean you’ll be out of business after hours until the next business day when the support staff comes in the next morning? Again, check that Service Level Agreement. Don’t forget, it’s also negotiable!

Installation/Termination

Yes, this is important. How long would it take for a technician to install the service? It could require upwards to 45 days before your T1 line is set up, so you may want to consider this. Some companies offer better commitments for provisioning so if time is of the essence, this is something to look for. Some T1 providers will even credit you for every day their installation is late. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to read the company’s policy on service termination. Some will allow you 30 days to try their service and if you’re not satisfied, they will refund your money without further obligation. Then there are the others who will charge you absurd fees, ranging into the thousands of dollars, for early termination, depending on how many years are left in the contract. You may end up purchasing a low quality T1 line and have to pay even more to get rid of it. This is why research is so important. Back to the car analogy: you don’t want to buy a cheap car in which requires more money to fix or tow away later, do you?

Extras

Sometimes, the provider will include some additional services with your connection. This generally entails email, and web hosting, but can include other items such as teleconferencing services, like VoIP.

Web mail can provide every employee with emails without the need to install software. Perhaps your company grows and requires more IPs for your employees. You would want to have an option where more IPs can be added later down the line without any extra charge. A DNS (Domain Name System/Service/Server) can also be implemented into your connection for free DNS hosting. This can save you money if you transfer an existing website over to your service provider or need to set up reverse DNS.

Really, there are a lot of things to consider when browsing for the right T1 service provider. Think of it as an employee package – when you sign on for a job, you’re not just looking at the salary (at least, you shouldn’t) but also at the competitive bonuses and options like health plans and 401(k). Similarly, you should think over what any T1 provider has to offer before settling on one.

Billing

Do you need Online 24x7 Billing versus calling, the ability to update your information online and purchase upgrades online? Do you need the convenience of updating your credit card information and making payments online? Some companies have poor billing practices and can mangle your bill fast. They will double bill you, or bill you inaccurately, and may terminate your service or suspend you accidentally due to the company’s own billing errors. This is common and there are real some horror stories you would not believe. Some charge extra taxes, surcharges, and fees. These charges can quickly add up and hike up your bill depending on what state you are in; or charge high late fees, thereby negating any savings you may have thought you had.

Different T1s and Services - All T1s Are Not the Same

2007-10-09T11:29:00.000-05:00

Different T1s and Services

All T1s Are Not the Same

This blog is a very important one. Today, I am going to go over the different types of T1s and the four reasons why they each may be optimized or slowed down.

First off T1 Internet consists of two parts: The local loop and the port.

Pricing for the local loop is covered under a tariff filed with your state Commerce commission. The T1 circuit is provided by the ILEC (Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier) such as SBC, Qwest, Ameritech, Verizon and the rest of the Baby Bells and includes the local loop, the copper, and the initial configuration. A clear channel full T1 loop is made to provide 1.544 Mbps full-duplex (1.5 Mbps upload/download at the same time.)

The second component is called the “port.” The port is the pipe to the Internet at your Internet Service Provider. All ports are not the same and may be sold as fractional, burstable, shared, full, protected, tiered, or bonded. The reliability and performance of your Internet connection highly depends on the quality, capability, connectivity, and engineering of your ISP. In other words, if your ISP has a shoddy or oversubscribed port to distribute your Internet, you’ll get a shoddy connection. It’s sort of like getting clean drinking water pumped into a dirty system. Clogs in a bad water distributing system can back water pressure and that clean water can become dirty and undesirable. This is why T1s will show a huge discrepancy amongst different vendors. So remember, your T1 and local loop (the actual physical circuit from you to the ISP provided by the ILEC phone company) may be able to carry 1.5Mbps of data, but your ISP may not have the bandwidth to deliver that much data. This is why you some T1 lines sold as full 1.5Mpbs will only perform at 768kbps. The line is 1.5Mbps but the port or service isn’t.

Let’s look at a breakdown for some of the different lines.

Frame Relay T1 is pretty self-explanatory. They are T1s with bandwidth that runs over a frame relay network
Bonded T1 is more than one regular T1 line “bonded” or joined together to increase bandwidth speeds. You would estimate an additional 1.5Mbps for each bonded T1, so 2 lines equate to 3MB, 3 lines equals 4.5, and so on.
Hybrid T1 is a T1 plugged into a DSLAM and runs over a DSL ATM/Frame Relay network. DSL quality bandwidth, poor “DSL” network quality, lacks a T1 backbone connection, and no prioritizing of your packets or service. It is also known as FRoDSL (Frame Relay over DSL), TeleXtend, or Frame Relay T1.
Shared T1 is usually run to an MTU (multi-tenant unit) and split up into separate data networks for customers that choose to use the Internet service. This is generally an excellent and cost effective solution if the T1, routing, and firewalls, are properly designed and managed by a competent ISP.
Fractional T1 means you would be sharing a T1 line with one or more subscribers. The fractional T1 still maintain their speeds, so for the average user, it’s still more than enough. Just like cable and DSL, there are different plans you can choose from, such as speeds of 386kbps, 512kbps or 768kbps.
Burstable T1 is a T1 that won’t guarantee full speed at any time.
Protected T1 is a T1 that’s wired with a redundant dedicated wireless T1 connection, on diverse paths, with intelligent routing for increased reliability. If the wired T1 local loop fails for any reason, the routing will automatically switch to the wireless loop. Internal and external IPs, VPNs, and service is all maintained without interruption.
Clear Channel Full T1 is a real full T1 to the backbone or to the reseller that takes you to the backbone.

The above types of T1s make your decision pretty difficult when shopping for T1s, especially when you don’t know about all the different types of services available. Advertising is broad with the way they word things; like “cheap T1 service.” I can tell you that I’m selling cheap cell phone service, but you would immediately be leery of what you’re offered, the phone you get, the network, etc. Treat buying a T1 line the same way you would buy anything else.

Now the above mentioned T1 lines all have their benefits, which affect pricing, so make sure you know what you’re willing to spend and what do you expect for your price. Once you’ve read this blog or researched the different T1 lines available, look into the way the ISPs you’re interested in administers their service.

Let’s say you decided on the Clear Channel T1 because it’s a full T1 line. Done deal right? Wrong. Different service providers may skimp you while you’re unaware. I’ve covered most of these things in this blog, but let’s review and make an overview look at things you should pay attention to.

Committed Information Rates (CIR): This is the guaranteed bandwidth you are guaranteed, usually spelled out in the SLA. A 90% CIR means that you will have at least 90% of your bandwidth available to you at all times. How an ISP can screw you is they may be a frame relay provider and offer you DSL-like prices speeds for full T1 prices. As I said in my CIR article: “if you are paying for a 1544K frame relay T1 and your provider offers a 384K CIR, this means your ISP will guarantee only 384K Speed for your 1544K T1. YES this means you will be paying FULL PRICE for essentially what is a 384K T1 Line, that may or may never reach the full 1544K speeds you think you are paying for. Worse, most frame relay providers such as the local phone company will only guarantee 128K, or 64K, or even 0% CIR. You could wind up being stuck in a contract for 2 or 3 years paying close to $400 a month for a 64K dial-up speed T1 line.”

Tier or Upstream Provider (affects quality): The unwritten “tier hierarchy” are they are: Tier 1 (A network that peers with every other network to reach the Internet), Tier 2 (A network that peers with some networks, but still purchases IP transit to reach at least some portion of the Internet), and Tier 3 (A network that solely purchases transit from other networks to reach the Internet.) A Tier 1 does not have any alternate transit paths so Internet traffic between any two Tier 1 networks is critically dependent on the peering relationship. If two Tier 1 networks arrive at a deadlock and discontinue peering with each other (usually a decision by one side), single-homed customers of each network will not be able to reach the customers of the other network. This effectively "partitions" the Internet, so that one portion cannot talk to another portion, which has happened several times during the history of the Internet. Those portions of the Internet typically remain partitioned until one side purchases transit (thus losing its "Tier 1" status), or until the collective pain of the outage and/or threat of litigation motivates the two networks to resume voluntary peering. It is important to remark here that Tier-2 (and lower) ISP and their customers are normally unaffected by these partitions because they can have traffic with more than one tier-1 provider. Because the "tier" ranking system is used in marketing and sales, a long-held though generally misguided view among customers is that they should "only purchase from a Tier 1". Because of this, many networks claim to be Tier 1 even though they are not, while honest networks may lose business to those who only wish to purchase from a Tier 1. The frequent misuse of the term has led to a corruption of the meaning, whereby almost every network claims to be a Tier 1 even though it is not. The issue is further complicated by the almost universal use of non-disclosure agreements among Tier 1 networks, which prevent the disclosure of details regarding their settlement-free interconnections.

Service Level Agreement (SLA): Every company will have one of these, and most of them have it posted on their websites. An SLA is part of a service contract where the level of service is formally defined. The main purpose of an SLA is to specify the levels of availability, serviceability, performance, operation or other attributes of the services like billing, or even penalties in the case of violation of the SLA. SLAs protect businesses by making access providers pay penalties to the customer for downtime that exceeds a specified total in availability. When agreeing upon the Service Level Agreement, you may want to include additional provisions, such as negotiating a more reliable connection that includes alternate routes for your data, create on-call backup circuits, and attempt to specify more severe penalties for service provider failures.

Oversubscription Ratio: Oversubscription is a practice used by ISPs to optimize their resources and maximize profits. Full Clear Channel T1 lines are exclusive to one customer at 1:1, but it’s common to find 4:1 to 20:1 user to line ratios. In my blog on oversubscription, I stressed not to mistake a T1 line with T1 service. You may have a T1 line running into your building, but it may be connected to a DSL network or something. With oversubscription, an ISP can be deceptive and claim you are getting a full T1 at 1.5Mbps which is true because the T1 line circuit capacity itself is 1.5Mbps, but that doesn’t mean the bandwidth or throughput speed coming through it will be. On top of this, even if it’s not frame relay, the T1 could be oversubscribed and you would not get your speed throughput all the time. So if that happens, you are averaging 384k all day because the line is oversubscribed to lots of people. You are essentially paying somewhere around $399 for a “discount T1” at 384K when you could have bought a clear channel T1 for $499. You would be guaranteed no oversubscription and get 4x the speed for $100 more. It's basically paying $399 for a cable modem since there is no consistent speed which amounts to one big rip-off.

If these problems exist to degrade performance of a clear channel T1, can you imagine how much worse it would make your Hybrid T1 or Burstable T1 connection?

All these above can affect your T1 quality and performance and determine whether you are getting a good value for what you are paying or getting ripped off. A reoccurring theme in this blog is to do your research and to read your contracts before making any decisions. I keep stressing that the contract you sign maybe the service you stay with for the next 2-3 years, so why not make it a good 2-3 years for your company.

One last special thing worth mentioning: VPN (Virtual Private Networks): if you plan on setting up a VPN network then making sure you can get the fastest most reliable bandwidth possible with your T1 service. This is because when your VPN can slow your traffic considerably on a network that is already considerably slow at times. Your speeds can take up to a 50% performance hit when using a VPN connection. This can cause a major disruption in your business and severely hurt your productivity and you will need to add bandwidth. But if your provider is already giving you 1.5Mbps, you can’t, and so you’d be stuck.

I hope I’ve helped you guys so far in your search for an Internet service that will benefit your company. For years, T1 retailers have been selling subpar service to unsuspecting customers. Hopefully you found this blog very informative. Please read my next article: price shopping for a T1 line, to supplement the information I gave today.

Service Level Agreement (SLA)

2007-10-08T00:03:00.000-05:00

This blog has been dedicated to helping guys like you choose the Internet service that’s best for you. I want to shift focus to what’s next after you’ve done the research (like reading my blogs *wink*), and got your checkbook ready.

When you’ve settled with a particular ISP, make sure you read and pay attention to the Service Level Agreement (SLA). Every company will have one of these, and most of them have it posted on their websites. An SLA is part of a service contract where the level of service is formally defined. In our case, it’ll be a contract between the customers and the service providers. The contract states the common understanding about services, priorities, responsibilities, guarantee, etc. The main purpose of an SLA is to specify the levels of availability, serviceability, performance, operation or other attributes of the services like billing, or even penalties in the case of violation of the SLA. You are usually guaranteed 99.99% availability, so request monitoring reports that track downtime. Most providers will make this information available to you upon request. Think about it, if you don’t make a payment on time, you get penalized. Why not make sure you get everything you’re paying for then? A contract goes both ways folks.

Until a few years ago, SLAs were not widely offered by Internet access providers, but they are now standard for high-speed Internet access like T1. DSL and Cable modem Internet are “best effort” services without a guaranteed level of service. To get credited for service outage, I’ve personally had to call, wait an hour to reach an actual human being on the line, and then chew out the unfortunate customer service rep that received my phone call before they even offered to give me credit. Even then, you don’t know when your Internet connection will be up again. Now take a look at getting a high-speed connection, like T1 lines, with a solid SLA with the guarantee of immediate attention when you have problems, and you’ve got a winner among businesses. It’s arguable that SLAs are one of the main reasons T1 lines are the most popular choice for Internet access among businesses.

SLAs protect businesses by making access providers pay penalties to the customer for downtime that exceeds a specified total in availability. With that being said, some SLAs are pretty pitiful. When your service is down, the poor SLAs will only reward you credit for the time your service is down. If you’re running a company and you don’t have the Internet for your day to day work, you’re missing out on a considerable amount of money. Service provider Netifice has a good example of a strong SLA. They will credit you a week if you are down 4 hours and a month if you are down a day. Sure, you’re losing the income from the day your Internet is down, but at least you’re being compensated with something.

When agreeing upon the Service Level Agreement, you may want to include additional provisions, such as negotiating a more reliable connection that includes alternate routes for your data, create on-call backup circuits, and attempt to specify more severe penalties for service provider failures. Like I said, if you don’t hold up your end of the bargain, you get bad credit, etc. Make sure this business deal benefits both parties. Try to discuss SLAs up front with the provider since the agreements are negotiable.

To sum things up, you want to make sure your SLA draws out terms of availability, performance, and measurement. You want to know if the service is available and if it’s good enough. Make sure your SLA is one that clearly defines responsibilities, is attainable, meaningful, cost effective, and mutually acceptable.

Frame Relay Over DSL – Hybrid T1

2007-10-05T08:17:00.000-05:00

Another Possible Service Option, but Not Quite Worth It

Frame relay over DSL (FRoDSL), also known as Hybrid T1, Covad TeleXtend, Rhythms T1, TDSL, TransEdge T1 (New Edge Networks) and more, is a cost-effective means of obtaining the reliability of T1’s. There is a satisfaction with frame relay, ATM, MPLS-based VPNs and Internet-based IPSec VPNs. WorldCom lists frame relay as its number two source of revenue after long-distance voice, so there is still money to be made through this older technology. A way to extend the life of an existing frame relay infrastructure is to use DSL services to access it. FRoDSL service is considered a great option for companies who currently use frame relay services, but would like to explore lower cost network options.

FRoDSL access use DSL technology to access a service provider’s existing frame relay infrastructure. What happens is that the provider will run a T1 line local loop then plug it into a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM), a mechanism at a phone company's central location that links many customer DSL connections to a single high-speed ATM line. From there, the line runs over Covad’s ATM network and its frame relay Internet.

This leads to price advantages because of the way the service is delivered. FRoDSL can be extended over greater distances, but at a fraction of T1 speeds. Because of this, FRoDSL will not need the use of repeaters in to relay data, meaning fewer lines are in use.

The service could possibly cost even less because the guaranteed response time is longer, but this doesn't necessarily mean that FRoDSL is any less reliable in terms of the mean-time-between-failure (MTBF). However, since fast response cost money, the guaranteed mean-time-to-repair (MTTR) may be somewhat longer than with a traditional service.

The problem comes when some service providers advertising FRoDSL as “T1 service”. Ultimately, the service is a T1 line that goes through DSL equipment. There is no way you can get speeds comparable to T1 by running the connection through DSL equipment. Frame relay networks also don’t come with a CIR. CIRs, if you recall, guarantees you your level of service with a T1 service. Since you’re essentially getting a DSL connection, they can only guarantee 384k of bandwidth, tops.

The only real T1 line is the line going into the phone company (eg Verizon) central office. Basically, FRoDSL delivers DSL service using a physical T1 line instead of a phone line. Unknowing customers see the T1 infrastructure being installed and figure they’re getting T1. Therefore, paying top dollar for T1, but only getting DSL. Following me guys?

Seriously, FRoDSL is strictly for those who are too far for DSL and can’t afford real T1. Customers should know what it is they’re paying for. A real Clear Channel T1 costs $100-200 more a month for 3X times the speed, which isn’t much more in terms of business costs. If you need reliability and performance, a FRoDSL connection can hurt your business, and should be avoided.

It is not a wise-choice for those who want to get what they pay for. Surfers expecting real T1 performance will be sorely mistaken. Imagine a company stock trading firm that heavily relies on their Internet service. If they were to use FRoDSL without a guarantee of reliability, they can lose an unspeakable amount of money when the system slows down or cuts off. Not only that, they’re stuck in a multi-year contract with the unreliable product.

The only benefit with a T1 line instead of a phone line is that, if the physical line breaks, Verizon (as an example) will fix it within four hours. A regular phone line can take days. Your DSL can be down for days if your phone line is on the fritz.

The main reason FRoDSL is offered is because traditional DSL only goes 20,000 feet. T1 can go on forever so you can get your DSL at longer distances through the T1 line. If service providers advertised that they can deliver DSL service anywhere, that’d be great, but they don’t. They try to market FRoDSL as a real T1 service though a T1 line. The line does not mean the service. The legitimate way of advertising this service is “DSL over T1” or something to that effect.

Another name it’s known by in the industry is TeleXtend (TDSL). TeleXtend is the name of the FRoDSL product Covad offers “comparable” to T1 service. TeleXtend is a T1 loop into the Central Office (CO) where it hits Covad's DSLAM. From that point on it rides the ATM backbone like SDSL or ADSL, then to the internet via frame relay.

The service provider XO sells real T1s for $499. Covad offers their product for $399. You’ll be paying around $400 for 35% CIR, but $500 would offer 100%. Why not just shell out the extra cash.

New Edge, another ISP, sells both real T1 and TeleXtend. They call their FRoDSL “TeleXtend Burstable T1”, or just Burstable T1. New Edge states that their “burstable T1 Internet access service offers high-speed T1 Internet access in tier 2 and 3 markets at 50% below traditional T1 prices. New Edge's burstable T1 service is available in speeds ranging from 384k, to 768K, to 1.1 mbps, to 1.5 mbps with 35% guaranteed CIR and burstable up to 100%.” Though a bit wordy and possibly misleading, they’re at least telling you the truth. Also, just to point out, the guaranteed 35% CIR is about the speed of a normal DSL line.

When purchasing a T1 service, make sure you ask the competing companies whether or not they’re selling Covad’s TeleXtend T1/FRoDSL. Find out if they’re offering you a Clear Channel T1 or Frame over DSL. T1 connections are capable of delivering 1.5Mbps, and while DSL connections are also capable of delivering this speed, they’re not nearly as reliable. Depending on the size of your business and its needs, consider getting an actual T1 connection. A full service T1 will support up to 50 workstations.

A list of Wholesale FRoDSL aka TDSL providers and their resellers:

FRoDSL Wholesaler:	Resold by:
Covad TeleXtend T1	Covad, Megapath, Speakeasy, DSL.Net, Bway
New Edge Networks T1	Transedge, Speakeasy, Earthlink
MCI-Rhythms NetConnections T1	MCI, Verizon, Intermedia, Telocity (DirecTV DSL)

Oversubscription - You knew it was too good to be true

2007-08-22T08:17:00.000-05:00

Hey guys, I’m sure some of you out there are running off a T1 line and thinking you got a sweet deal with your T1 line. Do you know if you really have the full T1 line at your disposal? If not, is it a fractional T1 service?

Oversubscription Explained
Internet providers are measured in “Tiers.” A Tier 1 provider maintains their own national network and provides their customers with a 1:1 user to bandwidth ratio. Bandwidth ratio means if you order a 1000kbps connection, then that 1000kbps connection is strictly dedicated to you and not “shared” between multiple customers. The lower the ratio, the less your bandwidth is shared amongst other customers. ISPs that are connected to Tier 1s would begin the oversubscription process as they resell the bandwidth. This is why DSL sees the highest ratio of oversubscription, 100:1 for ADSL. Cable Internet also suffers from gross oversubscription, which explains why speeds can vary greatly during the day and at night.

Why do ISPs oversubscribe?
Oversubscription is a way for ISPs to optimize their resources. Most users will not be on at the same time, so what ISPs will do is subscribe multiple users to the same port. Oversubscription allows some carriers to collect more revenues than other carriers, by optimizing their pipeline usage. Based on a bandwidth ratio that ranges between 4:1 and 20:1 depending on the service being provided, oversubscription may actually occur several times before it reaches the end user. Though common practice, users should be careful because they may experience poor performance during high network usage.

It’s possible to have a dedicated line to yourself, but you’d have to pay a premium and negotiate service-level agreements (SLA) to ensure performance. For instance a 2mb/s (Megabits per second) DSL connection may cost $500 a month while a Fractional T3 with a committed bandwidth of 2mb/s will likely cost over $2000 a month. Even then, if all users of the ISP were to download all at once, there would be a connection slowdown, also referred to as the “Internet rush hour” aka “peak hours.”

Do not confuse a T1 Line with T1 Service
Remember, your ISP isn’t selling you a connection to the Internet; they are selling you a connection to their network that is connected to their own provider network, and so on. The networks connected lead up to the top Tier 1 networks, which, combined with servers and end users’ computers, make up the Internet.

Even T1 providers can be guilty of oversubscribing their pipeline to you. Make sure that you have exclusive use of your 1.544Mbps. Don’t be fooled by your ISP telling you they are selling you a Full T1 Line. Their line might be 1.544Mbps but that does not mean their service is. Remember, I’ve always said on this site that you get what you pay for. The cheaper you pay for T1, the more likely you’re getting shortchanged. Either there’s a fractional connection you don’t know about or it’s oversubscribed service. ISPs may advertise 1.544Mpbs for a T1 line, which would be true since that’s the maximum bandwidth, but you may never get to use it.
For example, T1 provider A might offer an oversubscribed T1 for $395 per month, while T1 provider B might offer a 1:1 ratio T1 for $495. Is it worth it to save $100 per month on the $395 T1 where you only average 384K speed most of the time? Or do you think it makes more sense to spend the extra $100 per month and be guaranteed to get 1544K speed all of the time, almost 5X the speed and guaranteed in writing? Which three year contract would you like to get stuck in? Remember, most providers will expect you to sign for two or three years and you will be stuck with poor performance, so do your homework!

At $395 per month for a oversubscribed T1 that operates at 384K most of the time, these providers are essentially selling you a very expensive cable modem, Why pay $395 for a T1 connection with performance you can get from a $50 cable modem? Isn’t the whole point of buying a T1 to have a guaranteed amount of upload and download at 1544K all the time? We think so! Make sure you research, and ask your ISP what their oversubscription ratio is and make them prove it in writing. Though we cannot guarantee complete accuracy, here is a list of ISPs under what we believe to be the known respective oversubscription ratios.

1:1 bandwidth ratio:
· MCI/Uunet
· Sprint
· Abovenet
· Qwest
· Savvis
· Netifice
· Level 3
· New Edge Networks (upon request)

Below 1:1 (but not necessarily too bad):
· Global Crossing
· Neon
· AT&T
· XO
· Internap

Average to poor oversubscription:
· Megapath
· Speakeasy
· Covad
· Uslec
· Cogent
· Broadwing
· Focal
· ACC Business

Oversubscription is a good indicator of how to tell you are going to get what you pay for, and not get a misleading Internet connection. Remember that advertisements are tools to sell a product, so consumers have to sift through some of it to see that they are guaranteed what they expected at time of purchase. Sure, oversubscription help provide competitive prices, but no one wants to end up paying for an Internet service that’s only half the speed of what it’s capable of when someone can offer maximum speed for slightly more.

Committed Information Rate

2007-08-15T06:35:00.000-05:00

Yes, something to make you feel better when paying your ISP bills.

Hey guys. It’s been a while, but I’m back. I don’t know if anyone still checks this page, but let’s move begin where we last left off… TELECOM! YAY!

Today I want to bring up committed information rates, or CIR. Simply put, it’s a written guarantee from an ISP to a customer stating the minimum bandwidth available at any given time on a frame relay network.

Derived from the term Committed Data Rate (CDR), CIR refers to voice and non-data packets, whereas CDRs deal with data. I may write a future article on CDRs, but in short, CIR provides end-to-end minimum bandwidth guarantees, while CDR provides such guarantees only from the user location to the service provider's backbone.

Usually above the CIR, an allowance of burstable bandwidth known as the Excess Information Rate (EIR) is given. The EIR rate is delivered when there is adequate bandwidth. Frame relay carriers define and package CIRs differently so check with your service provider for the package offered in your area.

A huge plus of CIR is that only packets sent above the CIR are marked discard eligible (DE) and are discarded first during times of high network traffic. All your packets within the CIR are safe from the early discarding. With CIR, your network traffic will closely match your actual traffic patterns without all the disposable data sent.

A problem with CIR is that it’s nearly impossible to measure precisely. In dealing with your service provider, make sure they specify the interval over which the CIR is measured. Your CIR may vary depending on how the provider measures the time interval. It may not be the provider’s fault, though. CIR adjustments can be based on a company’s experience with it. Once you know how your provider’s CIR is measured, though, you should have a good start in negotiating the CIR in your service level agreement.

CIR Guarantees. How does your ISP stack up? CIR is essentially what makes many T1 providers different. It is measured in % of the bandwidth or by a minimum guaranteed rate that you are guaranteed to receive with your service. A 90% CIR means you should receive 90% of your bandwidth speed at all times. Since a T1 is 1544K, with a 90% CIR you would be guaranteed to experience 1389.6K at all times, which is what you would expect for the money you will be spending on your Internet or Voice T1 line. Since many T1 providers are offering Frame Relay based T1 lines, the speed you experience and the price you pay will be determined by the CIR in your contract. For example, if you are paying for a 1544K frame relay T1 and your provider offers a 384K CIR, this means your ISP will guarantee only 384K Speed for your 1544K T1. YES this means you will be paying FULL PRICE for essentially what is a 384K T1 Line, that may or may never reach the full 1544K speeds you think you are paying for. Worse, most frame relay providers such as the local phone company will only guarantee 128K, or 64K, or even 0% CIR. You could wind up being stuck in a contract for 2 or 3 years paying close to $400 a month for a 64K dial-up speed T1 line. Sound impossible? Guess again! This kind of questionable business practice is very real and very common in telecom. It allows ISPs and Tel Co’s to maximize profit. So, if the price you are getting is too low, then you may be buying a frame relay T1. We advise you to investigate your ISP carefully or simply spend a little more for a Clear Channel T1 where you can be guaranteed a full T1. It is certainly worth the extra $50 to $100 per month to be assured you are getting what you expect out of your service. If your ISP is a frame relay T1 provider, then it is always necessary to verify the CIR with the company who you may be purchasing from. In short: be wary and READ YOUR CONTRACTS CAREFULLY!

For further reading on Frame Relay, check out my article on the subject.

T1 Internet too slow? That’s blasphemous! When is it time to upgrade from a full T1 line?

2007-05-15T11:13:00.000-05:00

T1 Internet too slow? That’s blasphemous!
When is it time to upgrade from a full T1 line?

So your business is growing and you find that the company requires a lot of bandwidth for everyday use. Maybe you started with a fractional T1 line and moved up to a Full T1 line, and perhaps you’ve even moved up to a bonded T1 line. Is this more than enough, or can you see the day you might need even more broadband?

Since the mid ‘90s, T1 has been the standard Internet connection for small to medium-sized businesses across the United States. You may be one of these small businesses, and some of you may have been proud of the fact that your company finally “needed” a T1 line. It can be seen as a rite of passage for a company growing. T1 provided reliable connections to the Internet, and maybe other offices.

With reliable high-speed connections at their disposal, businesses began to turn to the Internet for their business needs. For general use, a T1 line was more than enough. How can you imagine NEEDING anything faster? At the time T1 was becoming popular, companies like IBM were deploying T3s. It was understandable, though. Those companies had thousands and thousands of employees that needed to send e-mail, or what not. No way did a small business owner even fathom needing a T3.

Well, nowadays data communications has evolved into a bandwidth-hogging beast. Sales, customer servicing and marketing, and outsourced mainframes for data storages, etc, all require MORE speed.

Bill Gates once said that no one would need more than a 512k connection. Now that may sound silly right now, but will a T1 be compared to the 512k connections in the future? It depends on your needs so look into your choices before you jump the gun and purchase T3.

The right type of connection for you depends on a few things.

SPEED
Try to figure out if the speed you have is enough, and whether or not your business is starting to outgrow that speed. Do you think you’ll need something faster in a year or two?

RELIABILITY
How critical is the information you’re transmitting? Would it be best to just route across multiple backbones? Redundancy may be very important to you because Internet lines can go down. You just have to make sure every circuit has to be different, and not just the carrier.

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE
Can you program router tables? Do you have an ASN, are you familiar with ARIN and AS numbers? Personally, I will honestly say no, I don’t and I’m not. Since things can get pretty technical, if you don’t know the technology yourself, you’ll have to hire someone experienced and knowledgable to maintain your network. This can get pricy as typical house-calls to program router tables properly can run $3,000-$4,000.

Are you ready/in need of something more than a T1? Weigh your options, like I always say, and make a careful decision. Simply getting a balanced T1 might solve your needs. It could mean the success of your business.

Frame Relay - Is this the solution for you?

2007-05-11T08:21:00.000-05:00

Frame Relay

Frame Relay is one of the most cost-effective types of data transmission available today. It’s a protocol standard for LAN internetworking which provides a fast and efficient method of transmitting information from a user device to LAN bridges and routers.

Frame Relay is a high-speed packet switched transmission service that connects two or more fixed points across a private network. Access to a Frame Relay network is done through an interface circuit known as a FRAD or Frame Relay Access Device. Sometimes it's called a Frame Relay Assembler/Disassembler. Most often, it's an option card in a router. The physical connection for Frame Relay Service is available in bandwidth anywhere from DS-0 (56k) to full DS-1 (T1) speeds.

Network providers usually employ frame relay for voice and data as an encapsulation technique used between LAN and over a WAN. Private or leased lines at the user end are connected to a Frame Relay node. The frame relay network handles transmissions over dynamic paths transparent to all end-users.

Designers of Frame Relay searched for a cost-efficient data transmission for discontinuous traffic between LANs and between end-points in a WAN. Frame Relay works by sending data in variable-size units called “frames” and leaves all the error-correction, like re-transmission of data, up to the end points; speeding up overall data transmission.

Frame Relay offers an attractive alternative to both dedicated lines and X.25 networks for connecting LANs to bridges and routers. The success of the Frame Relay protocol is based on the following two essential factors:

Virtual circuits only consume bandwidth when they’re transporting data, so they can exist simultaneously across a given transmission line. In addition, each device can use more of the bandwidth as necessary, and thus operate at higher speeds.
The improved reliability of communication lines and increased error-handling sophistication at end stations allows the Frame Relay protocol to discard erroneous frames. This eliminates time-consuming error-handling processing, which also helps in data transfer speeds.

And because Frame Relay uses a simple link layer protocol, your equipment usually requires only software changes or simple hardware modifications, so you don't have to invest a lot of money to upgrade your system. However, required testing is needed to determine that the system works properly and transmitted data is not lost.

Now the question is: Do you really need it?

Frame Relay traffic is a shared bandwidth connection that is provided by your local phone company. It does not use the Internet to route traffic between your installations, although it can be configured to route traffic into and out of the Internet.

If your business only needs Internet access for the computers in your office and you only need TCP/IP communications, then you don't need frame relay. You just need a point-to-point T1 circuit that routes into your local ISP network to enter the Internet through their gateway. Remember to set up a firewall to protect your internal computer systems from the access to the Internet when using a point-to-point circuit.

On the other hand, if you need to network business locations, but don’t want to pay for full-time dedicated trunk lines, or share your T1 line with other connections (like mainframes), then Frame Relay is for you. Frame Relay can maintain a reliable and continuous network connection for your needs.

The network service provider will provide a permanent virtual circuit (PVC) in most cases. This allows the customer to have a continuous, dedicated connection without having to pay for a full-time leased line. The service provider will figure out the route each frame travels to its destination and can charge based on usage.

A company, like yours, can select a level of service quality, allowing certain frames to have priority over less important ones. Frame relay can run on full or fractional T-carrier system providers, and complement a mid-range service between ISDN and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM).

Frame Relay is available in the following speeds (type and speed of frame relay may vary by ILEC): 56Kbps, 64Kbps, 128Kbps, 256Kbps, 512Kbps, 1.5Mbps, and 2Mbps. If this type if solution is for you, find the best Frame Relay Service in your area!

X.25 - I’ve got to say, this is definitely not an article on a X-Men movie sequel.

2007-05-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

I’ve got to say, this is definitely not an article on a X-Men movie sequel.

X.25 is an International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) standard protocol suite for wide area networks (WAN) communications that defines how connections between user devices and network devices are established and maintained. Designed to operate effectively regardless no matter what kind of systems are connected to it, X.25 is typically used in the packet-switched networks (PSNs) of common carriers, such as the telephone and ISDN companies.

The need for WAN protocols capable of providing connectivity across public data networks (PDNs) in the ‘70s helped the standardization of X.25 by common carriers. The result is the international standard managed by the ITU-T. “Packet Switched Network” was the recognized name of the international collection of X.25 providers, mainly the various national telephone companies. Their combined network provided a huge global coverage for the following decades, and is still used in limited use.

X.25 DEVICES

First off, X.25 devices have to be explained before moving on. These network devices fall into three general categories:
Data terminal equipment (DTE) - End systems that communicate across the X.25 network. They are usually terminals, personal computers, or network hosts. Located on the property of individual subscribers.
Data circuit-terminating equipment (DCE) - Communications devices, such as modems and packet switches, which provide the interchange between DTE devices and a PSE. Generally located in the carrier's facilities.
Packet-Switching Exchange (PSE) - Switches that make up most of the carrier's network. They transfer data from one DTE device to another through the X.25 PSN.

X.25 was based on the concept of establishing "virtual calls," or switched virtual circuits (SVC), through the network with "data terminal equipment" (DTE) providing endpoints to users, which looked like point-to-point connections. See, X.25 was developed in the era of dumb terminals connecting to host computers. Dialing through a host computer would require a set of modems and phone lines for the computer, and require non-local callers make long-distance calls. Instead of dialing directly through the host computer, the host could have an X.25 connection to a network service provider. Subscribers, such as banks, are charged based on their use of the network. X.25 was typically billed as a flat monthly service fee, and then a price-per-packet on top of this.

Thanks to X.25, dumb-terminal users could dial into the network's local “PAD” (Packet Assembly/Disassembly facility). The PAD, a device commonly found in X.25 networks, is used when a DTE device, such as a character-mode terminal, is too simple to implement the full X.25 functionality.

The PAD is located between a DTE device and a DCE device, and it performs three primary functions:
Buffering (storing data until a device is ready to process it) – Buffers data sent to or from the DTE device.
Packet assembly - Assembles outgoing data into packets and forwards them to the DCE device. (This includes adding an X.25 header.)
Packet disassembly - disassembles incoming packets before forwarding the data to the DTE. (This includes removing the X.25 header.)

Virtual Circuits in X.25

A virtual circuit is a logical connected created to ensure two network devices communicate reliably. It denotes the existence of a logical, bi-directional path from one DTE device to another through an X.25 network, even though the connection can pass through any number of nodes/devices like DCE and PSEs. Multiple virtual circuits (logical connections) can be multiplexed into a single physical circuit (a physical connection). Virtual circuits are de-multiplexed at the remote end, and data is sent to the appropriate destinations.

There are two types of X.25 virtual circuits:
Switched Virtual Circuits (SVCs) - Temporary connections that require a request session connection each and every time the devices need to communicate. If communication occurs over an SVC and neither device has additional data to transfer, the virtual circuit is terminated.
Permanent virtual circuits (PVCs) - Permanently established connections used for frequent and consistent data transfers that do not require that sessions be established and terminated. Data transfer can be done whenever necessary because the session is always active.

X.25 Today

Thanks to the advent of "perfect" quality digital phone services and error correction in modems, the operating cost of X.25 was no longer worthwhile. This brought forth Frame relay, which is essentially the X.25 protocol with the error correction systems removed. The concept of virtual circuits is still used within ATM to allow for traffic engineering and network multiplexing.

X.25 networks are still in limited use around the world. It remains one of the only available reliable links in many portions of the developing world, where access to a PDN may be the most reliable and low cost way to access the Internet.

Clear Channel T1: A clear cut connection may be the solution you need.

2007-05-01T23:22:00.000-05:00

Clear Channel T1: A clear cut connection may be the solution you need.

Before I begin, I want to say that a clear channel T1 line is no more than a regular, full T1 line. In my very first article about residential T1 lines, I touched on what a T1 line is, so click here to read that article. After you’re done, continue on to read more supplementary information on a regular “Point to Point” or “Clear Channel” T1 line.

First, I’m going to explain DS0, or “DDS.” A basic channel carrying voice or data information through telephone transmission is 64kbps wide. When used for voice, and sometimes in data use, the top bit of each 8bits is “lost” to equate only 56kpbs. This 56k service, found in dial-up Internet service, is also referred to as “DS0” access.

A T1 line (a.k.a. DS1) is no more than 24 DS0s combined together in a time-slice fashion. Since there are 24 DS0s (each 64kbps wide), the actual available data rate for a T1 is 1536 Kbps, or 1.5Mbps, which is, obviously, 24 times faster than DS0. This requires using a line coding known as “B8ZS”, but “clear channel” is the common term for it.

Now we’ve established that a “Full T1” line and a “Clear Channel” line are just different terms with the same meaning. A Clear Channel T1 service reliably connects your network to the Internet through dedicated non-shared means. You order a clear channel T1 line; you get exclusive rights to one full T1 line. T1s provide a dependable 1.54 Mbps of bandwidth. As the circuits are delivered over dedicated copper connections, they provide constant symmetrical downloading and uploading of data. T1s are ideal for all aspects of business that depend on Internet Connectivity from e-mail access, web conferencing, and e-commerce applications.

T1 lines can be used by themselves, or bundled together to form multi-meg circuits. Their stability provides dependable and consistent dataflow for the transmission of both data applications as well as business class VoIP.

There is a significant downside to having a T1 line: PRICE. It’s not cheap to have T1 service, which is why so many companies offer a variety of T1 services at limited capabilities, such as fractional and bonded T1 lines. Check out Best T1 Line to compare T1 providers and determine the best T1 line for your needs.

Burstable T1 - Get a T1 line without bursting your wallet

2007-04-28T09:46:00.000-05:00

In a few past articles, I’ve described fractional T1 and bonded T1 lines. Another option for those looking for more bandwidth for their business is burstable T1.

First off, burstable T1 gets its name from ‘burstable billing,’ the method of measuring bandwidth based on peak use. This is the most ideal solution for customers requiring very high bandwidth, but in bursts. It involves a full T1 line with all its bandwidth available all the time. The T1 service is sold with a set mount of monthly bandwidth. Measuring technology attached at the ISP’s end measures your bandwidth use, and if you exceed the allotted level of data, you would pay a premium.

The concept developed based on the idea that users use their Internet connections in bursts. When a page loads, bandwidth is sent in a burst and when it’s loaded, the user reads the page and data isn’t being sent or received; hence using the Internet in bursts. Burstable T1 can provide you to ‘burst’ to full T1 speeds of 1.544 Megabits without the cost of an entire T1 connection.

The beauty of a burstable T1 service is that it gives you a cheaper, but full T1 line for your business. Large packets of data can be sent or received quickly, but you don’t need to break the bank to have that availability. Here are some other benefits that a T1 line can give:
Reduced costs for users with fluctuating bandwidth needs or very high bandwidth bursts
Increased sales by improving the interaction time between your customers and your organization via the Internet
A manageable network by enabling usage statistics
Controlled bandwidth costs so you only pay for what you use

This “pay as you go” service can cost about half the price of a full bandwidth T1 line. The major plus of burstable T1 is that the highest 5% of bandwidth usage for each month is “free.” That’s how burstable billing works.

Billing is based on sustained usage levels during the month, as determined by traffic samples taken every five minutes, seven days a week. Your monthly charge is determined by the usage level under which 95% of samples fall. So lets say 95% of the samples taken in a month fall below 6Mbps. Your usage tier would be 0-6 Mbps. That tier would be at a certain rate, but the full bandwidth is still available should you need to use it. Burstable T1 connections are technically more complicated but are very cost effective and give high performance.

MPLS… Multi-Protocol Label Switching! Not to be Confused with Minneapolis

2007-04-24T23:46:00.000-05:00

MPLS… Multi-Protocol Label Switching! Not to be Confused with Minneapolis
MPLS for the speed and efficiency you need.

Multi-Protocol Label Switch, or MPLS, is a standards-approved technology for speeding up network traffic flow and making it easier to manage. It acts the same way as VPN tunneling, in that it encapsulates protocols and data before sending them out in their own tunnels. Sometimes, MPLS is referred to as “Layer 2.5” because it emulates properties of Layer 2 (data link layer i.e. Ethernet) and Layer 3 (networking layer i.e. Internet Protocol, or IP).

MPLS is just a newer way of doing the same work that frame-relay and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) do. MPLS is becoming more popular because it is better suited for current and future technology needs. In particular, MPLS skips the cell switching and signaling-protocol of ATM. ATM breaks up data into encrypted fixed-sized cells to send out between two end points. MPLS recognizes that small ATM cells are not needed in the core of modern networks, since modern optical networks are so fast (at 10 Gbit/s and well beyond) that even full-length 1500-byte packets don’t suffer any real noticeable real-time delays. Thus, because of the increased bandwidth available, traffic engineering and out-of-band control, which frame relay and ATM became popular for, is still maintained.

MPLS was originally called “Tag Switching” by its developers from Cisco Systems, Inc., and was renamed "Label Switching" when it was handed over to the IETF for open standardization. It was developed to make way for the creation of simple high-speed switches, since it was impossible to forward IP packets in its entirety through hardware for a long period of telecommunications. Recently, advances in VLSI (Very-large-scale integration) have made the hardware possible for such duties, but the systemic advantages of MPLS, such as the ability to support multiple service models, do traffic management, etc., remain.

Instead of encrypting packets, MPLS adds a 32-bit tag to packet headers. MPLS works by pre-pending packets with an MPLS header, containing one or more 'labels'. The packets are called label stacks. Each stack contains four fields: a 20-bit value, a 3-bit field for QoS priority, a 1-bit ‘bottom of stack’ flag (meaning if set, the current label is the last of the stack), and an 8-bit TTYL (time to live) field.

When packets enter an MPLS-based network, Label Edge Routers (LERs) give them a label (identifier). A tag router, the ingress router, will examine the desired destination address, and creates a tag that chooses a virtual circuit or label switch path for that packet. From there on out, tag switches will only look at the tags to determine how to forward the packet. Routers that are performing routing based only on Label Switching are called Label Switch Routers (LSR). There may be multiple routes available for each label switch path so that the tag switches can manage outages, congestion and differentiated services. At the egress point, the exit router, the MPLS tag is removed before sending the packets on their way.

Processing small tags is faster than having to deal with larger headers at each router, creating choke points for data flow. Another advantage of MPLS networks is that it can be designed to provide more bandwidth, or shorter latency paths for voice packets in VoIP telephone systems. Video packets are extremely heavy on bandwidth so it would be best not to funnel them into paths where computers are backing up large databases. Through MPLS networks, voice and video can have the bandwidth needed to maintain quality of service.

When properly designed, deployed, and maintained, MPLS in a private network is a powerful tool to increase business efficiency while reducing costs and improving performance. MPLS networks are now spreading to include access networks.

To set up MPLS or other networking services for your business, check out T1 Stop Shop.

Circuit Switching vs. Packet Switching: What’s the huge difference anyway?

2007-04-21T00:43:00.000-05:00

Circuit Switching vs. Packet Switching
What’s the huge difference anyway?

First off, let me explain switches in general. A switched network goes through a switch instead of a router. Most networks are actually headed toward flat switches on VLANs instead of routers. A router can handle the work of a switch, but much of IT today is going toward flat switched networks. So when we’re talking about circuit switching or packet switching, we are more and more talking about doing it on a switch.

Now in my last two articles, I’ve explained the differences between circuit switching networks and packet switching networks. In principle, circuit switching and packet switching both are used in high-capacity networks. Circuit switching establishes a direct point-to-point connection is made, like in a telephone call. The dedicated line cannot be used by anyone else while it’s already in use by two other users. Packet switching doesn’t require the direct line of contact, and uses any available network connections to route data packets (data, voice, video, etc.) through different routes until it reaches its destination where the packets are reassembled to its original message.

Comparisons:

Circuit switching –
1) Ideal when data must be transmitted quickly, arrive in sequencing order, and at a constant arrival rate. Ideally, it is used for transmitting real-time data, such as audio and video.
2) Network resources are static.
3) Dominates the public switched telephone network or PSTN

Packet Switching –
1) More efficient and robust for data that is burst in its nature, and can withstand delays in transmission, such as e-mail messages, and Web pages.
2) Uses communication lines that are not dedicated to passing messages from the source to the destination. Different messages can use the same network resources within the same time period.
3) Dominates data networks like the Internet.

The difference in real-world situations:

Packet switching is acceptable when calling up a web page or downloading a file, since a tiny delay is hardly noticed. These tiny delays are very noticeable with voice, though. This point is really important. Circuit switching guarantees the best sounding call because all packets go in order without delay. Delays in packet switching for voice causes cause voice quality to fall apart, as anyone who has used VoIP can tell you.

Bottom line: circuit switching is more reliable than packet switching. When you have a circuit dedicated for a session, you are sure to get all information across. When you use a circuit which is open for other services, then there is a big possibility of congestion (which is like a traffic jam in a network), and hence the delays or even packet loss. This explains the relatively lower quality of VoIP voice compared to PSTN.

Even so, there are protocols giving a helping hand in making packet-switching techniques to make connections more reliable. An example is the TCP protocol. Since voice is to some extent tolerant to some packet loss, packet switching is ideal for VoIP.

When you are making a PSTN call, you are actually renting the lines. This explains why international calls are expensive. Expensive enough for many people to sacrifice quality for cost efficiency. You pay for each and every minute you spend CONNECTED on a dedicated line. In a conversation, you take turn speaking. Plus, there are those moments where there is silence. Ultimately, you’re only using less than half the time of what you are paying for. With VoIP, you actually can use a network or circuit, even if there are other people using it at the same time. There is no circuit dedication. The cost is shared.

Future of circuit and packet switching for telephony:

Packet switching is getting better with improved VoIP technologies, but it may never replace the dominance of circuit switching in PSTN. Replacing circuit switched switches with packet switches across the country would be a monumental task, requiring billions of dollars over years and years. Plus, lengthy calls over the Internet place huge demands on switches that were never planned for, tying up circuits longer than ever imagined. Change is probably going to come at some point, and the Internet's traffic now motivates engineers to move toward a unified switching method in the PSTN.

While the PSTN creeps towards convergence, many telecom companies are looking at placing calls over packet switched local area networks the Internet. A company with a packet based switch will allow you to eventually store all of your e-mails, pages, faxes, and voice calls on a single computer which also acts as your phone. Convergence would enable us to access all these features. Software, not hardware, would be used to utilize features like conferencing and call forwarding; or even video conferencing if the number dialed at the office is to a computer and not to a desk telephone. The drive toward unified packet switching will enable a brand new future for the public telephone system.

Packet Switching: Circuit Switching’s Nemesis… Well alternative, but “Nemesis” is more dramatic and funnier to say

2007-04-15T11:59:00.000-05:00

Packet Switching
Circuit Switching’s Nemesis… Well alternative, but “Nemesis” is more dramatic and funnier to say

Packet switching is a WAN (Wide Area Network) technology of protocols that divide messages/data into packets (units of information carriage), then route them individually to its destination. During the transfer of the packets, the packets can be delivered altogether or independently of each other through different routes. Once at its destination, they are recompiled into the original message.

To prevent unpredictably long delays and ensure that the network has a reliably fast transit time, a maximum length is allowed for each packet. This is why a message would be submitted to the “transport layer” first, and then divided by the “transport protocol” entity into a number of smaller packet units before transmission. The end result is a reassembled message at the destination. This method of transferring data optimizes bandwidth available in a network to minimize the transmission latency (time it takes for data to pass across a network), and to increase the strength of communication.

The costs to customers using packet switching are lower than point-to-point lines because packet switching is more efficient in using a network infrastructure. The carrier can create virtual circuits between customers’ sites through its packet routing protocols. The section of the network that is shared is often referred to as a “cloud.” Packet switching is also called connectionless networking because no physical connections, like circuit switching, are established.

Packet-switched networks using satellite or terrestrial radio as the transmission medium are known as packet satellite or packet radio networks, respectively. These networks were designed for covering large areas for mobile stations, or for applications that benefit from the availability of real-time information at several locations.

Handling messages of different lengths was always done very well by packet switching, as well as different priorities when quality of service (QoS) attributes were included. Packet switching was originally designed for data, but lately packet networks are becoming the norm for voice and video as well.

The most well known use of packet switching is the Internet, which is often referred to as a “Datagram Packet Switching Network.” The first international standard for wide area packet switching networks was X.25. Other examples of packet switching are Ethernet, frame relay, and mobile phone technologies such as GPRS and I-mode.

Already, we can see that there is more flexibility with packet switching than with circuit switching. The Internet, which is a widely used infrastructure, can be used efficiently without the need for a point-to-point connection that circuit-switching networks require.

Come back later this week as I compare circuit switching and packet switching.

Circuit Switching: What is it? Why do we use it? What is it used for?

2007-04-13T00:06:00.000-05:00

Circuit switching is the most common method used to build communication networks in the world. In telecommunications, a circuit-switching network is one that establishes a dedicated circuit (or channel) between nodes and terminals before the users may communicate. A physical point-to-point path is obtained and dedicated to a single connection between two end-points in the network for the duration of the connection.

Early telephone exchanges are a good example of circuit switching. A caller would have to ask the operator to connect them to the person the caller wanted to reach. This was then done on the same exchange or via an inter-exchange link and another operator. The two parties in the phone call would then be in a physical electrical connection through their telephones for the duration of the call. During that time, no one else can use the physical lines involved, even if no actual communication is taking place in the dedicated circuit, that channel still remains unavailable to other users. Channels that are available for new calls to be set up are said to be idle.

In modern circuit-switched networks, electronic signals pass through several switches before a connection is established. And during a call, no other network traffic can use those switches.

Switched circuits allow data connections that can be initiated when needed and terminated when communication is complete. This works much like a normal telephone line works for voice communication. Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is another good example of circuit switching. When a router has data for a remote site, the switched circuit is initiated with the circuit number of the remote network. In the case of ISDN circuits, the device actually places a call to the telephone number of the remote ISDN circuit. When the two networks are connected and authenticated, they can transfer data.

Circuit switching technology became a necessity for communications equipment that required high quality, real-time data transmission. Circuit switch technology allowed high-speed, low latency, simultaneous connections between mainframes, workstations, servers, and data storage systems.

Since the first days of the telegraph it is possible to multiplex multiple connections over the same physical conductor, Regardless, though, each channel on the multiplexed link was either dedicated to one call at a time, or it was idle between calls. Circuit switching can be relatively inefficient because capacity is wasted on connections, which are set up but are not in continuous use (however momentarily). On the other hand, the connection is immediately available and capacity is guaranteed until the call is disconnected.

I’ll talk about packet switching in the next article, and how it’s seen as a better alternative to circuit switching.

Plug in the Computer and Log-on at the Same Time, Broadband over Power Lines Coming Soon

2007-04-10T01:24:00.000-05:00

Plug in the Computer and Log-on at the Same Time
Broadband over Power Lines Coming Soon (?)

Something I’m sure a lot of people don’t know about is BPL. What is BPL you say? Point proven. BPL is “Broadband over Power Lines. The idea of BPL is that you can plug your computer into any electrical outlet at home and have high-speed Internet immediately. This technology combines the radio, wireless networking, and modem technology to send data over power lines in speeds comparable to DSL and cable (between 500 kb and 300Mbps).

The big upside to having BPL is that rural areas, where access to high-speed Internet is not readily available, can have access to broadband service, simply by tweaking current power grids with specialized equipment. Having access to electricity gives access to broadband Internet! Imagine that.

Right now, there are two types of BPL service: In-house BPL and Access BPL. In-house BPL can network machines at home, like home appliances (i.e. light switches, televisions, sound systems, etc.) Access BPL will carry broadband Internet using power lines and allow power companies to electronically monitor power systems.

BPL would data through the current infrastructure of power lines, so new fiber-optic lines don’t have to be laid out by phone companies. The thing is, fiber-optic lines were very stable and could transmit trillions, yes with a “T”, of bytes of data a day without interfering with other types of transmissions. BPL is based on the concept of bundling radio frequency (RF) with AC (alternating current) to transfer data on the same lines. Electric companies have used this technology for years to monitor the performance of power grids. The infrastructures of these power grids consist of generators, substations, transformers, and everything in between that carries electricity into your home.

An issue with sending radio signals through alternating current is the “noise” of electricity. At high voltages, the “noise” is heard as a humming noise you are all familiar with. At high voltages of electricity spikes in frequency and BPL requires electrical power to maintain a separate frequency than it uses, or data can be damaged or completely lost during transmission. To avoid this problem, BPL providers would skip that part of the electrical infrastructure and move down to the medium-voltage power lines. As it travels through these medium-voltage lines, data can only go so far before degrading, so repeaters would have to be installed along the way to repeat the data in a new transmission for the next stretch of transmission. Once the electricity and data arrives at its destination, your home, it would have to be separated. Repeaters are used to separate the low-voltage data signals to bypass transformers, otherwise data can degrade. The final stretch of the transmission is the signal into your home. Some companies carry the signal directly into your home whereas other companies install wireless devices on poles.

Once inside your home, BPL modems specially designed for pulling data out of an electrical current are plugged into your electrical outlet and into your computer. The BPL modem is PnP, and is the size of a typical power adapter. The wire to your computer is an Ethernet cable. BPL modems also come in wireless models.

BPL technology has been slower to develop in North America. More equipment would have to be installed overall in North America. As said before, repeaters have to be installed on poles to separate the low-voltage data currents, but it’s not uncommon that one distribution transformer is connected to only one house, whereas 10 to 100 homes can be hooked up to the same transformers in Europe. An upside to this is that since bandwidth is limited, users can benefit from increased speeds since fewer homes are sharing the same connection. There are currently a few developers trying to work out the kinks of this technology, but there are issues that are slowing down approval by the FCC and IEEE.

BPL runs into FCC conflicts with radio-frequency emission limits. Since electrical cables are not shielded in shielded cables like on TV, cable TV, and telephone lines, they are clear of interference problems. Power lines have no shielding, and in many cases, the power line is a bare wire. This lack of shielding provides frequency interference. The interfering signals can disrupt air traffic control radios, police radios, and other short-wave radio transmissions. The amount of bandwidth a BPL system can provide CONSISTENTLY compared to cable and wireless is also in question.

If BPL does work out and become standardized, I can only imagine the possibilities of convenience at home. Hooking up your sound system and TV would be a cinch through your electrical “network.” You can sync your alarm clock, light switch, and coffee maker in the morning via broadband. The current citywide Wi-Fi Internet infrastructure being installed in some American cities would be obsolete, or welded into the infrastructure of BPL. Can all this work, or is it wishful thinking? I hope it works because, most importantly, more people that currently don’t have access to high-speed Internet will be able to connect, making our already small world an even smaller one.

*Cue music* It’s a small world after all.

Create an Online Private Network That’s Secure and Reliable.

2007-04-08T13:30:00.001-05:00

Create an Online Private Network That’s Secure and Reliable.
Virtual Reality? Not Quite. It’s a Virtual Private Network! YAY!

Not too long ago, companies with users and offices geographically separated had to use intranets (password-protected sites designed for use only by company employees) or leased lines, like ISDN or OC3 fiber, to maintain a Wide Area Network (WAN) for fast and secure digital communication. The growing popularity of the Internet convinced some businesses to turn towards it as way of extending its own networks; in comes VPN. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a private communications network used mainly by companies, or other organizations, to securely connect remote sites or users together over a public network (usually the Internet). VPN traffic is carried through an existing networking infrastructure on top of standard protocols, or over a service provider's private network with a defined Service Level Agreement (SLA) between the VPN customer and the VPN service provider.

One common type of VPN, typically used by a large business with hundreds of sales people in the field, is “remote-access” also called a virtual private dial-up network (VPDN). This is a user-to-LAN connection used by a company with employees who need to connect to the private network from various remote locations. If a company needs to set up a large remote-access VPN, they will typically subcontract an enterprise service provider (ESP). The ESP sets up a network access server (NAS), which remote users would reach by dialing a toll-free number. The ESP provides telecommuters with desktop client software for their computer, which is used to access the corporate network. Through the use of a third-party service provider, remote-access VPNs permit secure, encrypted connections between a company’s LAN and remote users.

Another type of VPN is “site-to-site.” A company can connect multiple fixed sites over a public network, such as the Internet, through the use of dedicated equipment and large-scale encryption. There are two kinds of site-to-site VPNs: Intranet-based and Extranet-based. Intranet-based VPN connects remote user(s) to a single private network. Extranet-based VPN is a network that connects business partners LAN to LAN and allows all of the various companies to work in a separate, shared environment.

A well-designed VPN consists of security, reliability, scalability, and integrated network and policy management. These features can improve security, reduce operation costs versus WAN, provide a convenient remote workstations for employees, provide global network opportunities, provide telecommuter support, and provide broadband networking compatibility.

VPN keeps your connection and data secure over the information superhighway, known as the Internet, through the use of firewalls, encryptions, IPSecs, and AAA Servers.
A firewall is the first line of defense between your private network and the Internet. You can restrict the number of open ports, what types of packets are passed through, and which protocols are allowed.
Encryption is the process of taking the data sent from one computer and encoding the data so that when sent, only the receiving computer can decode the information.
Internet Protocol Security Protocol (IPSec) provides enhanced security features like better encryption algorithms, and more comprehensive authentication. IPSec can encrypt data between various devices, such as: router to router, firewall to router, PC to router, and PC to server.
AAA (authentication, authorization, and accounting) servers are used to secure access in a remote-access VPN environment. During the dial-up request by a user to establish a network connection, the AAA server checks who you are (authentication), what you’re allowed to do (authorization), and what you actually do while logged on (accounting). Accounting information is useful for tracking client use for securing auditing, billing, or reporting purposes.

The beauty of VPN over the Internet is its scalability. This is a major advantage over having typical leased lines. Leased lines are direct, and its cost increases proportionately to distances involved between offices. A VPN uses an existing infrastructure, the Internet, to connect members of a network securely and quickly without the cost issues.

Most VPNs rely on tunneling to create a a private network that reaches across the Internet. Tunneling is the transmission of data through a public network in such a way that routing nodes in the public network are unaware that the transmission is part of a private network. Essentially, tunneling places an entire packet within another packet and sends it over a network. The network and both points, called tunnel interfaces, where the packet enters and exits the network, understand the protocol of the outer packet. Tunneling allows the use of public networks (i.e. the Internet), to carry data on behalf of users as though they had access to a 'private network', hence the name “VPN.”

Tunneling requires three different protocols: Carrier protocol, encapsulating protocol, and passenger protocol. To clearly explain what these protocols do, I think it’s best to use an analogy: It’s like mailing a care package sent to a friend through the post office. The post office loads the package (passenger protocol) into a box (encapsulating protocol), which is then put into a postal truck (carrier protocol) at the Post Office (entry tunnel interface). The truck travels the highways (Internet) to your friend’s home (exit tunnel interface), and delivers the package. Your friend opens the box (encapsulating protocol) and removes the package.

Hopefully this article helps you understand VPN a bit. It’s a great way for companies to provide its employees a secure and reliable way to connect from any location. For more information, please visit Nationwide VPN.

Bonded T1. Before You Upgrade to T3, Take a Look at Your Options

2007-04-03T22:13:00.001-05:00

Bond… Bonded T1.
Before You Upgrade to T3, Take a Look at Your Options

In my previous search for residential T1 lines, I came across the option of bonded T1 technology. Basically, a bonded T1 line is more than one regular T1 line “bonded” or joined together to increase bandwidth speeds. Inverse multiplexing (IMUX) divides traffic from a single bit stream among multiple circuits. This means that traffic from a single source is distributed across the individual circuits to make use of, say, the 3Mb of bandwidth from two bonded lines.

A full T1 line provides approximately 1.5Mbps of broadband speed. You would estimate an additional 1.5Mbps for each extra T1 line in a bonded line, meaning 2 lines equate to 3MB, 3 lines equals 4.5, and so on. With that said, I need to point out that the T1 lines must also run into the same end router, meaning they must run through the same Internet Service Provider (ISP) in order to bond them. Having two lines from different ISPs may load balance the data flow, but it won’t be a true bonded line with exponential results in bandwidth. Plus, not every company offers bonded T1, so snoop around to find out what ISP best suits your needs.

Why have bonded T1? Well it’s always a matter of dollar signs. Most corporations expanding beyond the limits of their T1 service choose to move onto fractional T3 lines, which deliver about 3 to 22 Mbps. Bonded T1 is a viable alternative because the costs are usually cheaper. An ISP I found advertises that their bonded T1 lines are 75% CHEAPER than a fractional T3. Prices vary, but the average price of a fractional T3 line is fixed around $3,500 a month.

Let me provide a charge of bonded T1 pricing:

# of T1 Lines Bonded	Mbps	Price ($)
2	3	840
3	4.5	1130
4	6	1420
5	7.5	1700
6	9	1970
7	10.5	2230
8	12	2480

A T3 line would cost about $4600 a month, and $3,500 for 10Mb Fractional T3.

Bonded T1 lines are redundant, meaning if any lines fail at the moment, the data will be piped through the other lines in the bonded line to provide consistent data flow.

The maximum of lines bonded is usually around 4 T1s, although some have gone as far as 8. However, if you go beyond 4 bonded T1's it makes much more sense to start looking at a fractional/burstable DS3. Take into consideration that 8 bonded T1s would get you about 12Mbps. Those of you who need heavy-duty bandwidth should seriously consider getting a T3 line, which provides 45Mbps worth of speed.

Corporations who jump from a dual bonded T1 speed to a 6 Mbps T3 will typically incur a larger monthly price than that of just adding more T1s. The draw to T3 is found in its scalability properties. Upgrades are a matter of resizing the port, which will rarely take more than a few days, and the T3 line can go up to 45 Mbps. As users scale above 9 Mbps, the T3 begins to become the better-priced option.

Hopefully this helps those of you out there who are looking for more than a regular T1 can offer, but something cheaper than a T3. It’s really up to what you think your company needs.

A “Detailed” PBX Explanation That Won’t Go Over Your Head… Hopefully.

2007-03-31T00:08:00.000-05:00

A “Detailed” PBX Explanation That Won’t Go Over Your Head… Hopefully.

Hey guys. Today I’m going to talk about Private Automatic Branch eXchange, or “PBX.” Nowadays, it’s referred to anything related to telephony, but the term originated from the telephone exchange that consisted of manually operated switches connecting phone calls. PBX was initially used for a private network, e.g. a company’s office building. Everything connected to a PBX were eventually dubbed “extensions,” which is a term familiar to everyone who was ever asked for an “extension” during a phone call. Connections out of the private exchange are connected through trunk lines (Interesting fact: “Trunk” originated from the thick gray cables used in early telephony that reminded people of elephant trunks, and the telephone poles that were basically tree trunks).

I mentioned that PBX used to be manually operated by operators. You may remember old movies where an operator would actually answer the phone when a character wanted to make the call, and had to ask to be connected. Eventually switches were replaced by automated electromechanical, and then electronic switching systems, called PABX (Private Automatic Branch eXchange). PBX in the industry was then renamed PMBX (Private Manual Branch eXchange). The term “PBX” eventually came back into use in place of PABX because it was such a widely used term, and had familiarity with those who used the new switch operating systems. Those of you at work who have to dial “0” or “9” to dial out an “outside number” are using a PBX line. Now you have a term to go with the system you use everyday.

For those of you reading this and find the information dense, I’ll breakdown PBX’s three main duties:
1) Establishing connections (circuits) between the telephone sets of two users (e.g. mapping a dialed number to a physical phone, ensuring the phone isn't already busy)
2) Maintaining such connections as long as the users require them (i.e. channeling voice signals between the users)
3) Providing information for accounting purposes (e.g. metering calls)
Different manufacturers have developed different features for PBX, which include but not limited to: auto dialing, call forwarding, call transfer, call waiting, conference calling, music on hold, and voice mail.

The advent of the Internet has changed PBX systems with the use of VoIP. Yes, I’ve mentioned VoIP again folks. Right now, IP Centrex (contraction of Central Telephone Exchange) is very popular, but far from the original concept of PBX. We’ll have to see if VoIP technology will dominate this sector of telecommunications as much as it seems to be dominating the residential phone and cell phone industry.

Previewing the iPhone Revolution - Who exactly is Apple targeting?

2007-03-27T11:33:00.000-05:00

Previewing the iPhone Revolution

It seems as though I’m going to be a couple months behind, but I have to talk about the Apple iPhone. Everyone on the net is talking about it, so why shouldn’t I?

First off, I want to say that the iPhone is pretty cool, but I personally am not interested. Yah, I’ve said it, I’m not interested in it. Maybe if I owned my own iPod, then I might toot a different story, but I don’t think that would even change my opinion. When the iPhone was announced and every major news source covered the story, I was amazed at the types of things the iPhone could do in the demonstrations. Then I thought about it and realized… “Wait, what CAN it do? Everything they showed are aesthetics.” You know, stuff like non-touch key pad, the look, the cool icons, etc. Well, I’ve looked into it and here’s the breakdown.

Positives:
Wi-Fi VoIP capabilities: The iPhone will have VoIP capabilities, along with a partnership with Jajah to go with it. Apple also has their iChat, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you were able to call other iChat members for free. The Wi-Fi capabilities may allow VoIP calls done over the Internet through Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution aka EDGE (which probably should be mentioned under the negative section since it’s infamously slow) wireless technology, also allowing cheaper or free calls. I just wonder what Cingular, who is the exclusive cellular provider for the iPhone, thinks of all this.
OS X: The Apple OS is going to be running on the Apple iPhone, which is already a point to check the phone out. Chances are, this will be a limited, if not watered-down, version of the OS X. Mac users can breath easier now because the iPhone will have full compatibility with their computers, as opposed to the Windows Mobile phones dominating the market.
Look and Design: You can’t deny the fact that it looks really cool.
Built-in Advanced Sensors: The accelerometer allows you to rotate the device from portrait to landscape and the phone will change the display automatically. The ambient light sensor will adjust the screen’s brightness depending on the ambient light surrounding the phone.
Screen: The iPhone has a fairly large screen (3.5-inch), and is a widescreen when rotated, with a fairly high-rez so that you can watch videos.

Negatives:
Touchpad: Depending on who you are, you’ll have different opinions on this feature. It looked really cool in the demonstration, but I really wonder about its practicality. Many users want the numeric keypad. Emailing will be considerably slower, and so will texts. The touchpad is part of Apple’s design philosophy of “less is better”, but for an all-in-one phone, less is NOT better.
EDGE: I said it should be here in the negative section, and here it is. With EDGE in place, Cingular can’t provide a true 3G iPhone. The EDGE network can support email and widgets and surfing, but also forces iPhone users to get most of their higher-resolution video through iTunes.
Closed System: Apple won’t allow third-party developers to build software for it. Yes, if you own a PDA, then you’ll understand more than anyone this problem. I think one of the great things about high-end phones is that you can add third-party programs, customize your phone, and have a lot of neat tools added on. Closing the system will make this phone a literal “get what you paid for” item.
Cingular: Don’t get me wrong, I personally like Cingular, but having the iPhone exclusive to only Cingular customers is an issue. Many people with tech gadgets like to have their options, which tie in with the issue of being a closed system, as well. Perhaps there will be an unlocked iPhone down the line for those who want different cellular companies, but as for now, its only Cingular. There are also those who don’t have Cingular contracts that will have to either break their contracts (which costs money in most cases), or figure out a way to switch out of their service.
Limited Storage: iPod users are used to 30GB and 60GB storage space. Will the measly 8GB be enough? Maybe Apple anticipated the new D.A.V.E. by Seagate.
The Price: Now I don’t know about everyone else, but c’mon. $499+ is a bit steep. There are other high-end telephones that are around that price range, more expensive even, but they offer a lot of features iPhone does not. Apple probably kept this in mind since they only planned on a 10-million unit release.

Questions To Be Answered (since it’s a high-end phone I’ll ask “smart phone” questions):
What kind of Microsoft support will be available? (i.e. Outlook, Word, Exel, etc.)
It will have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but can it be used as a laptop modem?
Video recording?
Voice features like voice dialing and voice memos?
Battery life? This is the question that’s on everyone’s mind, and one problem that’s plagued iPod users ever since the first iPod came out. An mp3 player with a dead battery was a bummer, but how bout an mp3 player/cell phone with a dead battery?
I don’t think I ever saw anyone mention features like USB ports, SD and MicroSD slots, etc. Will the iPhone have these features?

The target audience of the Apple iPhone is identical to the iPod’s existing market. I personally don’t see a new version of the iPod coming out, as I believe the iPhone is the newer version, albeit there’s less storage capacity, but tons more features. The only problem is whether the loyal Apple iPod fans will all transition over to the iPhone, not unlike they way they bought every new version of the iPod as they were cranked out. Plus, Cingular’s exclusivity with the iPhone brings up the question of whether or not everyone with different cell companies will switch over with a new two-year plan, and whether Cingular’s current users will all switch to the new $499+ phone.

I don’t mean to bash iPhone, because I know this article sounds like I’m very anti-iPhone, but I do suggest everyone that’s looking to buy a new cell phone to do their research. The iPhone is mainly targeting Apple’s iPod fan base, and may sway more casual cell phone users into the high-end spectrum. This is a cool looking phone that will probably work well. Just don’t expect it to be a business/work extension like a PDA can be. The iPhone’s features maybe enough, or too much for you, but just make sure it’s the right buy for you to shell out half a grand. Maybe save that for the Apple TV coming out.

Nintendo DS update - VoIP and Wi-Fi Internet Capabilities

2007-03-23T21:51:00.000-05:00

Nintendo Fans... VoIP and Wi-Fi Has Arrived!

Okay, I have to admit that I’ve talked about VoIP for a while, and every one of my blogs have been about VoIP, aside from my very first, but I have to talk about the VoIP news over from Nintendo. They’re releasing Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version for the Nintendo DS. The games themselves are not the most exciting news, but the games having wireless capabilities are! The games will allow up to 8 players to connect, play, and talk trash live via VoIP technology. Yes, the Nintendo DS is integrated with Wi-Fi Internet to allow players to log onto a server to find other plays for competitive play. You can play with anyone around the world now.

Now because the company is Nintendo, kids are still the main target audience, which would explain why the technology coincides with a Pokémon game, so Nintendo won’t let the user connect to just any stranger, and possible pedophile, online. Otherwise, we might see a new edition of How to Catch a Predator. The only way you can connect to another player is to be around a Wi-Fi connection and enter your Friend Codes into the handheld gaming system. With VoIP technology on the Nintendo DS, players will be able to use a built-in microphone to talk to friends before, during, and after games. It’s pretty much like a VoIP cell phone for kids, because you can “call” any of your friends by dialing their Friend Code and viola! As long as both parties are around a Wi-Fi connection, The Nintendo DS headset (sold separately) is an accessory you can buy to make conversations easier.

"The amazing wireless and voice chat features of Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl offer gamers something completely new," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "We make games for everybody, and these Pokémon titles are sure to be a hit with new and returning players."

About 9 months ago, Vonage announced their release of a portable VoIP phone that can be connected to a USB port of any computer connected to broadband Internet, and make VoIP calls instantly. Looks like Nintendo is literally making child’s play of VoIP telephony by going wireless. Of course, you can’t make actual phone calls with the Nintendo DS, but who knows, the basics are there already.

Just goes to show you how fast VoIP technology is spreading to other aspects of our lives. VoIP technology is now in handheld games! To think, just 10 years ago, I had to use a standard telephone to talk to friends while gaming. I’m amazed. What’s next? With companies like Apple releasing its iPhone with rumored VoIP technology, others are sure to follow. I’m sure VoIP will eventually establish itself as a feature on many, if not most phones in the future.

VoIP Telephony Part 3: The Downside and Security Flaws of VoIP Telephony

2007-03-20T20:05:00.000-05:00

VoIP Telephony Part 3 of 3

In the last two weeks I talked about VoIP telephony, and all its advantages (lower prices, portability, etc), but there is a reason it hasn’t caught on like wildfire, and why you’re not scrambling to get it for yourself.

The beauty of VoIP service is that it runs like “another program” through your computer, or through a gateway if you use an IP phone. This beauty is also where the problem lies. Using a telephone service over the Internet will expose you to all the Internet security issues currently floating around the cyber world. A comparison used a lot is between Broadband Phone and emails. Emails are sent through the Internet and are vulnerable to anyone trying to exploit security holes. As with emails, VoIP telephone calls can be attacked by a hacker so that the attacker can gain access to your computer, personal information, and system access.

Spamming can occur, or DoS (Denial of Service) maybe sent to the system network. DoS can wreak havoc to businesses, especially ones that aren’t equipped with security features that protect against security exploits. A network can be shut down and phone lines, which are part of the network in this case, will be out of service until the network can be restored to working order.

Eavesdropping is also a possible problem. The problem may be worse than eavesdropping on a standard telephone line. With VoIP telephone, a hacker can gain access to more than one telephone line once the network is broken into. Through the use of the right tools and programs, a hacker can use their laptop and tap into anyone’s VoIP conversations by redirecting their IP packets to their computer. This may lead to more compromising situations like intercepting phone calls containing sensitive information with a bank, or even rerouting a genuine call to a bank so that the hacker can easily impersonate the bank. A form of “phishing” can happen in this case. A popular form of “phishing” is with PayPal. Emails are sent to unsuspecting users asking for login information or credit card information. The emails look legitimate and gullible users will pretty much “hand” over severely damaging information over to these Internet thieves. With an IP phone number, hackers can make cheaper calls (one of the upsides remember?) to the correct numbers, and sucker in the owner of the number with similar phishing tactics as the PayPal scheme.

There are ways to help minimize the threat through the use of firewalls or encryption of VoIP traffic through a VPN Service. you can minimize the more common security threats VoIP and emails share. Microsoft had to release many patches to secure their Outlook program, which still suffers from constant security issues. You can expect ITSP and networking companies to start putting in as much work as Microsoft did, and maybe more, to secure their services. If not, then you can expect them to receive similar flak, and I’m sure that’s a problem the service providers would like to avoid.

Aside from security issues, VoIP telephone service has some drawbacks in general use. Heavy Internet traffic on specific networks, or loss of data packets can cause a loss of parts of conversations, or just drop them completely. I mentioned before that making 911 calls can be troublesome because your location is difficult to locate over the Internet. Because you’re difficult to locate, your call will have trouble being connected to your nearest emergency call center for help. I also mentioned that “e911” is a solution in the works, but it’s still not standard.

Regardless of its current disadvantages, VoIP is still steadily growing rapidly. The problems I addressed, as well as the ones I haven’t, are being pressed out and solved as we speak. Companies like Cisco Systems, Avaya, Nortel, Siemens are putting a lot of their resources into this security, as they know a lot of money is to be made in this growing tool online. I don’t blame them; VoIP telephone service is looking like a possible “next big thing” waiting to catch fire, once consumers catch on to it. As far as I know, there haven’t been any major attacks towards VoIP providers or VoIP customers, but it’s pretty safe to bet that the network companies I mentioned are working to keep it that way. The cost cutting benefits of VoIP telephoning is hard to overlook. It’s not without its flaws, but like everything else, it can only improve and come with more options. Bring on the patches and updates!

VoIP Telephony Part 2: VoIP Integration with Standard Phones and Cell Networks

2007-03-16T22:10:00.000-05:00

VoIP Telephony Part 2 of 3

Many Internet telephony service providers (ITSP) are integrating their services into your current phone lines. VoIP is still widely used in two main ways: 1) Through a desktop computer, and 2) Through standard telephones patched through your Broadband connection. Now there is a third way, your cell phone.

Currently, a company called Jajah has service to allow customers to set up VoIP calls from their cell phones. They have announced that it will support Apple’s iPhone when it hits the market this summer. The folks over at DiVitas Networks are currently developing a way for cell phones to detect a WiFi connections and seamlessly switch from a cell network, and vice versa. This can help reduce cell phone usage costs.

VoIP telephone lines are becoming more and more popular with small and large corporations. Companies, such as NationwideLD, are trying to take advantage of its popularity by offering telephone services that can come out cheaper than the traditional land-based telephone companies. VoIP technology is an inexpensive alternative for long distance calls. That can save a lot of money for a business that needs to make a lot of calls to business associates in different parts of the world. Different extensions can be set up, much like a traditional phone line, and companies can even keep their current/original phone numbers. The same goes for residential VoIP use.

I’m sure everyone is familiar with cable and DSL companies offering telephone service in packages, especially cable companies that offer cable TV and internet. I’ve thought about getting one of these packages myself, but I’ve stopped myself short of getting everything in one bundled package. The reason?

Well, I’ve had cable TV and cable Internet shut down on me. Whether it be a system upgrade by the cable/ISP provider, or a power out, there is downtime and the consumer has no power over it. Imagine having a phone line through an Internet company and one of these outages happens or if electricity is down. No Internet service, no phone. Not a situation you would want to be in, in case of an emergency.

There are also concerns with 911 calls. A 911 call is usually connected to the nearest call center, but through VoIP, it’s hard to determine. Though a feature called “e911” does exist, and can direct you to the nearest call center, a lot of the VoIP companies don’t offer it, yet.

There are many other downsides to using a VoIP phone line, and I’ll cover that in the conclusion of my three-part blog on VoIP telephony. Regardless, though, VoIP companies are working towards solutions to all these issues in order to gain more subscribers in a growing lucrative market. The next wave of communication is on the horizon. Cell phones companies will have to deal with the new ITSP upstarts trying to take their customers. When the price of communication gets cheaper, I have a feeling “free minutes” on cell phones will be a thing of the past, and roaming charges will seem as primitive as the old “brick phones” used in the early 90s.

VoIP Telephony Part 1: VoIP Telephone and Developments

2007-03-13T10:08:00.000-05:00

VoIP Telephony Part 1 of 3:

Last year when I was in the Bahamas, I saw some people using an online telephone company called Skype to call loved ones back here at home. The phone call is connected through the internet, and for mere pennies per minute, you can use a microphone hooked up to your desktop, or other IP telephone accessories, and get cheap telephone calls through VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology and programs. Now I know that Skype has a single payment for unlimited calls for a year, but other companies may have competitive pricing. You can look it up for yourself.

I didn’t know what VoIP was, or anything related to the matter, all I knew was that there was a way of calling home without the roaming charges that came with using my cell phone out of the country. The VoIP calls home to my family were clear, cheap, and easy to make. After discovering that making phone calls over the Internet was possible (and a whole lot cheaper), I freely called home during the last few days I was out of the country.

Wikipedia explains that “Voice over Internet Protocol, also called VoIP, IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, Broadband Phone, and Voice over Broadband is the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or through any other IP-based network. If you’ve used Ventrilo, or built-in voice chats on online video games (i.e. Counter-strike Source, Battlefield 2), then you’ve used a form of VoIP. VoIP telephony is a bit different. With a gaming VoIP, you need a server to host your conversations, and your computer. There are companies, like Vonage, that will charge you for services, but you won’t need your computer to make the call. These companies are known as Internet telephony service provider (ITSP). In the subscription bundle, you should receive an analog telephone adapter (ATA), which connects your router to your analog phone. The ATA acts as the middleman to connect your phone to the ITSP through your broadband connection. You can be assigned a number, keep your old number, or even a new one with a different area code.

The beauty of VoIP telephony is that you can, for instance, have a number local to New York while living in LA. This allows people you know in New York to make a “local call” to you, and vice versa. If you have an IP Telephone, pretty much like a cell phone, you can walk around with that phone number. The phone is connected to an assigned IP address, so it’s the same as using the phone at home. Hence, that local New York number you had is with you everywhere you go, as long as you have your IP telephone. For example, if you travel to Europe, you can be reached through your IP Telephone and the person calling you from New York will connect to you as if you were in New York.

There are companies, like ViaTalk, that offer traditional telephone features in their service, which include e911 caller ID, voicemail, and fax service. The possibilities are endless for features. Call forwarding from a VoIP line to your standard cell phone is an option that’s coming into its own, thanks to FirstHandTech. This can come in handy for business execs, or sales staff, that are out of their offices on a regular basis. Whoever’s answering the phone for them back at the office can patch the call directly to their cell phone with FirstHand Technologies.

Can there be a possibility a corporate synergy between ITSP companies and phone companies in the future? The Internet and telephones merging together is a product of the Great Communication Age we currently live in. One can only wonder what else lies ahead in the future. Come back next week and I’ll fill you in on some pretty cool VoIP telephony ideas in the works.

Affordable Residential T1 Line?

2007-02-27T16:23:00.001-05:00

If you’re addicted to the internet, like I am, and stayed in the dorms at a college that offered high-speed internet access, then I’m sure somewhere between moving out of the dorms and now, you wished you could have a fast T1 (Trunk level 1) or T3 (Trunk Level 3) line at home to log online. Since graduating, I’ve used cable and DSL for my high-speed internet needs, but lately I’ve wondered if there was a residential option for T1 service.

Those of you who never had the luxury of using a T1 line don’t know what you’re missing out on, and it’s probably best that way depending on how you look at it. It’s comparable to moving up to cable or DSL from a dial-up. To put things in perspective, a download of an average mp3 file (please download legally) may take a half hour to an hour on dial-up connection, a few minutes for DSL connection, and only a few seconds for T1 connection. Yes, a few seconds. You can see how someone would be spoiled when using it for a couple years. Imagine watching videos on YouTube, movie trailers online instantly. I used to love playing online computer games and talking over VoIP, all while downloading files without any spikes or chokes to my ping and connection. You can check out how different connections are ranked with this chart.

A T1 line uses a fiber optic, or sometimes copper, line to your location. Originally, T1 lines were used internally by phone companies to inter-connect Central Offices (CO’s), but were made available to the public in 1983. The T1 line can carry 24 digitalized voice channels and carry data at a rate of about 1.5 megabits per second. This is ideal for web servers, multi-user VPN, VoIP, networking VoIP telephone, etc. For it to be affordable, though, the home-use consumer would have to opt for a fractional T1 line, pretty much means you would be sharing a T1 line with another subscriber, or more. The fractional T1 still maintain their speeds, so for the average user, it’s still more than enough. Just like cable and DSL, there are different plans you can choose from, such as speeds of 386kbps, 512kbps or 768kbps. Just like with cable and DSL, you’ll have to choose the service package right for you.

After looking through many websites with real time price quotes, I discovered that T1 prices are very affordable… relatively speaking. A T1 line when I was in college a few years ago could have easily cost over a thousand or two thousand dollars, if not more. After snooping around, I’ve found an offer for a T1 line going at around $250 a month! Ok, so a $250 T1 line is like the $20 ADSL offered by some companies, but the upside to a T1 line is that it’s guaranteed to be running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with the same upload and download speed. Cable and DSL disconnections have happened to me on several occasions leaving me cut off from work, a bulk of which I handle through the Internet, nowadays. For a small company, disconnection from their cable or DSL service could mean thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in business losses.

Expect to pay at least $390 for a decent residential T1 line, but you’re going to have to shop around yourself and see what service is available in your area. The more you pay the better. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

In all practicality, though, a T1 line isn’t going to be affordable to the average household. Unless you’ve got money to spare, cable and DSL should be enough for home use, unless there are more T1 price drops. T3 lines are out of the question for home use because it’s even more expensive. T1 is within reach, but it will still cost a chunk of change overall. I do suggest every small business owners, or even owners of apartment complexes and condos to implement T1 lines into their buildings. As for me, the dream of having an affordable T1 connection with speeds I had in college is out the question.

At least for now.