subject: T1 Line: The Revolution In Bandwidth Speed And Flexibility [print this page] T1 line is just a term given to fiber or copper lines that carry digitized information bits known as bytes. These information bytes can either manage voice or data. T1 lines were invented by AT & T for North America and Japan in the Sixties to handle increased demand for voice services. They can handle up to 192,000 bytes of information per second.
While handling 24 digital voice channels per line, the T 1 line can be incorporated into an existing office system or wired into the network router for data purposes.
In comparison to a conventional modem, a T1 line deals with 60 times more data. This makes it extremely reliable because it can potentially manage hundreds of users if there is just general web browsing. If there is more demanding use of the Internet such as music file sharing, then a single line would be swamped.
A potential buyer must considered price and reliability when faced with a choice between a DSL modem and T1 line. DSL modems are less expensive overall but if you run a business, its reliability is not very high. At peak times, cable or DSL is always considerably slower than T1 lines. The fiber optic lines are more costly but very reliable when running several applications at the same time. Because of this, the T1 lines are the preferred choice for small businesses.
The cost of a line can vary from a couple of hundred to about $1000 a month. Because of this cost, the line is not cost effective for individual or home use. However, small businesses and some government operations can benefit from having a T1 line. The cost can depend on different Internet providers and phone companies having dissimilar fee structures. The fees can include a combination of both phone and ISP service depending on whether you choose the line voice service or the data streaming service or both.
The T 1 line offers another advantage over DSL: flexibility. They can be channelized for voice or unchannelized for both voice and data. The unchannelized bandwidth allows the use of both voice and data.
The prices for the lines are rapidly falling as they become more popular. More innovations have led to the T2 and the T3 lines which can manage up to 44.736 megabytes per second. In plainer terms, the T3 is equal to 28 T1 lines. There is also the T4 line that can handle more than 6 times the amount of a T3. These lines are used exclusively by large corporations with a very high volume of data and voice needs.
However, there remains a problem of compatibility with the European equivalent of fiber optic lines. The European Union has a type of data and voice line called the E1 and the E3. An E 2 line is also in use but not as common.
If you are seriously thinking about leasing or even buying a T 1 line for your data and voice, it is best to go with a broker. The brokers can negotiate a good price from the telecommunication companies with no additional markup, and if something goes wrong, the broker can ensure that technical assistance will come from the supplier.
