The name of the game in business today is agility. There’s so much uncertainty and day to day volatility in the commercial environment that traditional planning cycles can’t keep up. One indicator of these changing business needs has been the meteoric rise of cloud computing services. The cloud is more than just a way to reduce staffing and avoid large capital investments. Cloud services are offered on an “as needed” basis. If you need more servers or bandwidth, you can get them quickly and easily. What works in the cloud can also benefit bricks and mortar operations. All companies have a need for WAN bandwidth, either to the Internet or point to point to other facilities. Many companies have a larger need for mesh networks to interconnect multiple branch offices, stores, regional warehouses and the like. Even small concerns with a single office location need voice and data connections to the outside world. Wouldn’t it be great if you could buy the bandwidth you need right now, but respond in a flash if your needs suddenly increased?
That is possible to some extent and will soon be expanded with Ethernet over Copper. EoC, as it is also called, gives you transparent Ethernet connectivity from your LAN to the Internet, a MPLS-VPN network or point to point to another location. Technically, EoC uses dry copper pair (ordinary telco wiring) to transport Ethernet packets from a nearby central office to your location. Two or more pair are employed. The higher the maximum desired bandwidth, the more pair are connected.
There are two characteristics that are making Ethernet over Copper a highly popular connection service for business. First, the implementation uses the same type of copper wiring as you have for T1 lines and multi-line telephone service. Chances are that you already have the required multi-pair binder cable installed and in use. Second, pricing of Ethernet over Copper services is decidedly lower than equivalent T-1 or bonded T-1 line pricing.
MegaPath, a major competitive carrier and leader in Ethernet over Copper deployment, has been offering EoC services from 1,900 central offices where it has co-located the required equipment. They offer speeds up to 3 Mbps, making EoC highly attractive as a T1 replacement service. Over the next year, they will upgrade their terminal equipment at these and additional offices to offer EoC from 2 to 20 Mbps. In special cases, they will have the ability to go all the way up to 90 Mbps with a circuit card change.
The ultimate in flexibility is also on the way. MegaPath is planning to offer an on-demand upgrade from 3 Mbps to as high as 20 Mbps in a little as 60 minutes with no more than a phone call. The next step will be a customer self-service portal so that you can make the change yourself online. No longer will you have to keep extra bandwidth capacity on hand “just in case.” Order what you need for your current operations and then request a rapid upgrade when the need arises.
Could your office, retail store, restaurant or other business benefit from better bandwidth pricing and more flexibility? If so, check Ethernet over Copper pricing and availability. It could be a valuable competitive edge in these uncertain times.
