A T1 line is a telecommunication circuit that is based on a telephony standard called the T-Carrier system. It was originally intended only for telephone companies to use as trunk lines between their central offices. But later, corporate telecom departments were allowed to order them to support PBX telephone systems and Internet service. For a long time T1 lines were the backbone of local Internet service providers. They were particularly popular with dial-up service providers. In fact, wireless Internet providers called WISPs still use T1 lines as their backhaul connection to the Internet.
But why are they suddenly so cheap? Because suddenly just about every business needs digital telecom services. That quick service restaurant you like to zip into for lunch? They don't write your order down on a little pad. They use a computerized point of sale system that also keeps track of inventory and accounting information. Many people pay with credit cards. Nobody runs those through the mechanical card crusher anymore. They swipe them on the cash box terminal and in a couple of seconds your card is accepted and your order transferred to a CRT screen in the kitchen. What you don't see is the automatic ordering data going back to headquarters. You may not even notice the IP security cameras that let management keep an eye on the store and parking lot after hours.
Most every restaurant, insurance branch, car dealer, coffee shop with a WiFi hotspot, big box retailer, grocery store, architect's office and other small to medium size businesses have gone digital. Computers are everywhere, PBX phone systems manage incoming and outgoing calls, security cams keep watch.
OK, but shouldn't increasing demand mean higher prices? If the world wasn't transforming to digital communications everywhere that might be true. But it is, and there is another technology boom underway right now. Many new companies are entering the digital communications business to take advantage of the burgeoning demand for voice and data services. They offer wireline, wireless and fiber optic services in all bandwidths from basic DSL up to Gigabit Ethernet. As these new companies proliferate, they get into each others territories and, all of a sudden, there's competition for your business.
Great, but with all these new service offerings how do you get the best deal. It's getting to hard to research it on your own. If all you do is check the phone book or spot an advertisement, you may miss some of the better offers. Your best bet is to use a specialized search engine that is designed specifically to find the best prices on business bandwidth. That tool is called GeoQuote (tm). You simply enter some basic information about your business and its location and run a search. In seconds you'll find the best offers on T1 lines in your area. If you are in a city of any size, it's likely going to be a long list.
It's also going to have price quotes that you may find startling. Like I said, T1 lease costs have really come down lately. Moreover, there are other services, such as Metro Ethernet, that weren't even available a few years ago. For higher bandwidth users, Ethernet is often cheaper per Mbps than competing services. How much cheaper? Run a GeoQuote business bandwidth search for your location now and see what you've been missing.
