The reason that T1 lines have a bad rap of costing a small fortune can be traced to their origin. This technology, called T-carrier, was invented by the telephone companies for their own use and wasn't originally intended to be sold to businesses. But then the rise of the Internet and the need for PBX trunk lines created a demand for digital transport that was a perfect match to T-carrier services such as T1 and DS3.
Since the first adopters of T1 line technology in business were large corporations, cost wasn't such a big issue. Digital communications provided a competitive advantage that couldn't be matched by smaller companies. It was a cozy relationship between the incumbent telephone companies and Fortune 500 businesses.
What upset the status quo was the entry of competitive carriers into the business bandwidth marketplace over the last couple of decades. That cracked open the door for medium size businesses to get the same T1 line services, and the same competitive advantages, as the larger enterprises. The more prices come down due to competition, the more businesses can afford to get T1 lines.
The final blow to the exclusivity of T1 services for only certain select companies has come in the last five years, with the development of an online search tool called GeoQuote (tm). This automated technology makes it possible for any business, large or small, to check availability and prices of T1 voice and data lines in a matter of a minute or so. There's no need to know the right people or have the inside scoop on who's selling T1 services for the best price right now. The GeoQuote tool will tell you that with a simple inquiry through your regular Web browser.
Want to find the cheapest T1 line on the block? Immediately? Go ahead, take a few seconds and run a GeoQuote T1 service search right now. The search box will open in another window. But you may not want to come back here once you see the results. You'll likely find the results so much more affordable than you thought that you'll be busy getting service ordered.
