Companies in California and Nevada now find it much easier to get up to 200 Mbps over multiple copper pair. Notice that I said copper, not fiber. It’s no trick to get bandwidths this high or higher over SONET or Ethernet over Fiber. The big stumbling block is getting the fiber installed.The beauty of fiber optics is that the bandwidth is nearly unlimited. Once the fiber is in place you can swap out terminal equipment at each end to increase single wavelength fiber speed or install wavelength division multiplexing equipment to multiply the bandwidth capacity of each fiber strand. Now, if there was only a way to get fiber installed without breaking the bank.
You may not have to. Modulation technology developments have given a new lease on life to the same twisted copper pairs that carry your analog business phones or T1 data lines. Standard Ethernet over Copper (EoC) technology uses up to 8 twisted pair to deliver roughly 3 to 45 Mbps. In special cases that has been increased to 100 Mbps. There is no need to install new copper pair to the building, so construction costs are minimized and you don’t have to worry about fiber runs being available in the area.
Technology continues to advance rapidly. Now TelePacific is doubling the current offer of 100 Mbps Ethernet over Copper to 200 Mbps. They call the upgrade EEoC for Enhanced Ethernet over Copper. It’s already available in 247 of their LSOs (Local Service Offices) in California and Nevada. That number is increasing to 284 LSOs this year. That makes EEoC service available to a potential quarter million SMB (Small to Medium size Businesses).
Compare EEoC to services like OC-3 at 155 Mbps or Fast Ethernet over Fiber at 100 Mbps. The speed is higher and you don’t need fiber. For many if not most SMBs a bandwidth of 200 Mbps will meet their needs far into the future. By the time 200 Mbps is no longer adequate, technology will likely increase this speed again or fiber will be pulled into your building by TelePacific or another competitive service provider.
What if you don’t happen to be located in California or Nevada? Are you out of luck for any reasonable amount of bandwidth for your business?
Far from it. There are multiple options available just about anywhere to increase your line speed. The ubiquitous T1 line has been available to business users for decades and is still selling briskly. The only thing that’s changed over the years is the price. Competition from multiple providers and other services has dropped T1 prices significantly. Plus, lines can now to bonded to increase bandwidth from 1.5 Mbps on up to 10 or 12 Mbps. That’s plenty for many smaller companies.
Need more speed? Ethernet over Copper is available nationwide from multiple providers. It’s very easy to get EoC in speeds that range from 3 to 30 or even 50 Mbps in most business areas. Companies that are in smaller towers or out in the countryside are the exception. They’ve always been able to get T1, but now a variation on EoC called EoDS1 gives you Ethernet over Copper using beyond city limits. Fiber optic carriers are also aggressively building out their networks and wiring up multi-tenant buildings as fast as it makes sense. You may not have been able to get fiber last year, but this year could be a different story.
Are you looking for a bandwidth upgrade for your business? Would you be delighted to find out that you can get the same bandwidth you have now or even more for no additional cost? It’s time to check out your options. Get a complete list of options and prices, plus free consulting services to help you choose the best approach. You might be surprised by what’s available today.
