Wednesday, October 15, 2008

MegaPath Beefs Up Last Mile Access

The big stumbling block for businesses wanting to increase their WAN (Wide Area Network) bandwidth is something called "last mile" access. Sadly, this is just what it sounds like. Network bandwidth is readily available and more cost effective than ever. That is, until you get to that last mile... the one between you and the carrier's network. So near and yet so far.

What's so special about the last mile? Aren't all miles basically the same? Not hardly. There may be a superhighway just a mile from your company. But if the only road to your plant is down a narrow gravel road full of big ruts, any trucks that move your product will be crawling that last mile. There may even be a weight limit on the old wooden bridge that limits the size of truck you can bring in. Puts a crimp in your style doesn't it?

This is the dilemma that many businesses find themselves in. The really need more bandwidth than you can get from a T1 line at 1.5 Mbps. But the high speed fiber optic networks, the information superhighways, are a mile or two away. The cost of building a fiber optic line to join the nationwide network is just too costly. So, are these businesses stuck with their narrow little pathways until they can relocate their entire operations?

Not anymore. MegaPath, a competitive carrier serving small, medium and large enterprises, has announced it is beefing up those last mile connectivity options that will increase your bandwidth without requiring construction capital. They have two attractive technical approaches, depending on where you are located.

The most available solution is called bonded T1 service. T1 lines are available for just about any business location and offer symmetrical bandwidth at 1.5 Mbps. Symmetrical means the same speed for upload and download. What you might not be aware of is that T1 lines can be bonded together to create a single larger bandwidth pipe. Dual T1 lines give you 3 Mbps. But MegaPath is now able to offer triple bonding at 4.5 Mbps and quadruple bonding at 6 Mbps. They have the equipment to do this available in around 3,000 central offices nationwide. Chances are that your business qualifies for up to 6 Mbps of dedicated data service.

Another technical approach also uses copper based wiring to avoid fiber construction costs. It is called EoC or Ethernet over Copper. MegaPath is using Hatteras Networks' EoC technology in more than 400 central offices to offer Ethernet over Copper service at 10 Mbps.

Is your company feeling pinched for bandwidth? You may be able to get the breathing room your network needs at very attractive rates. How attractive? The way to find out is to get a rapid bandwidth service quote including the new options from MegaPath and other competitive service providers.

Click to check pricing and features or get support from a Telarus product specialist.




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