Benefits of Migrating From T1 to Fiber

By: John Shepler

If you’ve been using T1 lines for years, maybe decades, you know how solid and reliable they are. Your natural inclination is to stick with what’s working. After all, why mess with success? You should know that there are really good reasons to do just that.

What’s So Great About T1 Lines?
The appeal of T1 lies in its design and technical maturity. T-Carrier technology, which includes T1, E1 and T3 (DS3) line services, was developed in the mid-twentieth century for long distance telephone trunking to replace noisy analog carriers. Being digital, it was easy to expand the role of T1 lines to carrying packets as well as PCM audio telephone calls.

T1 Service Characteristics
T1 lines come into your building on one or two twisted copper pair using the same wires that carry multi-line telephone. This means that you can get T1 just about anywhere you can get regular POTS phone service. The service is symmetrical, meaning that upload and download speed are the same. There are no usage limits. Whatever you can load on the line during the month, you can transport. This is a dedicated private line, meaning you are the only user and security is high. So, with all that going for T1, why would you want to make a change?

Time Marches On
The 1.5 Mbps bandwidth of T1 was more than enough for business users… once upon a time. Today, 1.5 Mbps is still enough for credit card verification, email, casual Web browsing, and backup for small computer systems. It’s not a bad choice for small retail operations and offices, especially in rural ares where other bandwidth services are hard to come by.

Most users are used to higher bandwidths now, even on their smartphones. They expect faster response and really need it to efficiently do their jobs. That’s OK. You can get higher bandwidth from T1 lines. It’s done by bonding two or more together to make one large pipe. The size of that bandwidth pipe ranges from 3 Mbps on up to about 10 or 12 Mbps. If you need more than that, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

How About T3/DS3?
A faster version of T1 is T3, also known as DS3. The terms T3 and DS3 generally mean the same thing, although, strictly speaking, T3 refers to the physical line and DS3 is the organization of the data.

T3/DS3 isn’t just a little faster than T1, it’s a lot faster at 45 Mbps. This is more than enough for most small operations and many medium size companies. That makes T3/DS3 the logical upgrade from T1, right?

Yes and no. T3/DS3 is, indeed, a popular line service. It’s available in many business locations, but not nearly as many as T1. That’s because T3 doesn’t use twisted copper pair wiring. It’s provisioned on a pair of coaxial cables. That’s only for the last few hundred feet at most. T3/DS3 is transported primarily by fiber optics. If the fiber passes near your location, you may be able to get T3/DS3. If not, you’ll need to stick with copper.

The Ethernet over Copper Option
A newer technology than T1 is called EoC or Ethernet over Copper. This never was a a telephone company product. It’s an extension of the LAN Ethernet protocol for metro connections. Whatever goes on your LAN can be carried by EoC.

The big advantage of Ethernet over Copper is that it uses the same twisted copper pair as T1 lines. A more advanced modulation scheme allows EoC to offer speeds ranging from 3 Mbps on up to 50 Mbps, sometimes higher. The tradeoff is that the farther you are from the provider office, the less bandwidth is available. EoC is quite popular in the 10 and 20 Mbps bandwidths.

Moving Up to Fiber
Carrier Ethernet is available over fiber as well as copper. This is called EoF or Ethernet over Fiber. Once you move up to fiber, the bandwidth limitations disappear. Fiber optic service typically starts at 10 Mbps, with 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps as popular service levels. Some companies and now requiring 10 Gbps EoC, which is more and more available.

You may already know that fiber optic service comes in two protocols: SONET and Ethernet over Fiber. SONET is an older service that is the fiber optic extension of T-Carrier. DS/T3 is generally transported to the curb over a SONET service.

Choosing Ethernet vs SONET
SONET fiber services typically range from OC3 at 155 Mbps on up to OC-192 at 10 Gbps, although higher bandwidths are available. The increments are 155 Mbps, 622 Mbps, 1.2 Gbps, 2.4 Gbps and 10 Gbps.

Carrier Ethernet works differently. There aren’t large increments in bandwidth. You can pretty much specify the bandwidth you want in the 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps range. Popular service levels are 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps. You’ll recognize these as standard Ethernet LAN speeds.

Ethernet over Fiber is not only much more scalable than SONET, it is generally less expensive. The cost difference can be dramatic in some locations. You may pay half or less for EoF as you would for SONET. You’ll still get highly reliable professional grade service with low latency, jitter and packet loss.

Are you feeling stymied by the limitations of your old T1 lines? Now may be the perfect time to migrate your connectivity to Ethernet over Fiber at a lower cost than you might expect. You’ll also be laying the groundwork for future expansion, with higher bandwidth levels quickly available as you need them.

Fiber Optic Speed Using Ethernet over Copper

In the future, perhaps the near future, all connectivity will be by fiber optic communication lines. The largest companies already have fiber assets in place. Some smaller but bandwidth intensive companies have also moved from their traditional copper lines to fiber optic connections. Fiber offers nearly unlimited bandwidth growth once installed. The issue is what to do if there is no fiber available at your location yet.

A few years ago your options were limited. You probably started with a T1 line. This service is available everywhere and easily affordable. T1 lines offered plenty of bandwidth for most businesses when they were first made available decades ago. Today, 1.5 Mbps still works for very small companies but is very limiting for larger organizations or any business with high bandwidth demands.

The reason T1 is available to nearly every business location is that it is provided over standard twisted pair telco lines. These are the same wires that bring in multiline telephone service. Extra pairs in the bundle are available for T1 use.

This offers a growth path for many companies. There are often many unused copper pairs in the telecom cable. Those extra pairs can be pressed into service to bring in multiple T1 lines. A process called bonding combines the bandwidth of those lines into one larger pipe. Bonding 2 T1 lines gives you 3 Mbps, 4 lines are good for 6 Mbps and 8 lines boost that to 12 Mbps.

That’s about the best you can do with T1 service. If you need more bandwidth, your next best bet is DS3, another longstanding telecom service. It offers 45 Mbps. DS3 is fairly common in most business areas, but it no longer strictly a copper wireline service. Most of the distance between the central office and your location is covered by fiber optic lines. The DS3 rides on this fiber until it is terminated at your building. If suitable fiber is available, great. Otherwise you are out of luck.

A new technology has been developed to bridge the gap between T1 lines and dedicated fiber optic connections. It’s called Ethernet over Copper or EoC. This technology uses the same twisted pair copper telco wiring as T1, but supercharges the bandwidth. The way it does this is by using a more advanced digital modulation technique with special terminal equipment at both ends of the connection.

Ethernet over Copper has caught on so fast that it is now the preferred bandwidth solution for low to mid level line speeds. Entry level is typically 3 Mbps, twice the bandwidth of a T1 line for about the same monthly cost. Many companies are now moving to 10 Mbps EoC to support higher business bandwidth demands. The cost of 10 Mbps EoC is only a fraction of what you’d pay for 10 Mbps bonded T1.

An even bigger advantage of Ethernet over Copper is that it can support higher speeds than 10 Mbps. If 10 Mbps isn’t enough, you can often move up to 15 or 20 Mbps. Another desirable speed level is 45 Mbps. This is the same bandwidth as a DS3 connection but without any fiber needed to deliver the signal.

Two competitive carriers are now announcing even higher speed service levels using EoC technology. Integra Telecom has debuted 60 Mbps symmetrical Ethernet over Copper service. That’s 60 Mbps in both the upload and download directions. This service can be provided up to 2,500 feet from the central office that terminates the copper bundle. This is enough to reach over 400,000 businesses.

The technical tradeoff for speed is distance when you employ EoC technology. The higher the line speed, the closer you have to be to the CO and the termination equipment. T1 doesn’t have this distance limitation but is limited to 1.5 Mbps per T1 line.

XO Communications has upped the capability of Ethernet over Copper connections even further. Their newest level is 100 Mbps. This compares favorably with the 155 Mbps bandwidth of the lowest available SONET fiber optic speed, a commonly used fiber service.

Ethernet over Copper is now an established and widely available connectivity service with speeds ranging from 3 to 100 Mbps. It’s certainly a viable replacement for T1 or bonded T1 lines. It also makes sense for companies that need higher bandwidths but can’t wait for their buildings to be lit for fiber. In some cases, the 50 or 100 Mbps line speeds are all they really need and the upgrade to fiber can be delayed until sometime in the future.

Is your business bandwidth limited or do you have an interest in cutting costs on your monthly telecom expense? If so, you should get the latest competitive prices on Ethernet over Copper bandwidth services.

Copper While Waiting For Fiber

For high bandwidth, fiber optic connections are the way to go. You have your choice of bandwidths from around 10 Mbps on up to 10 Gbps and either the SONET traditional telecom protocol or the newer Carrier Ethernet. I say “have your choice” loosely. You can only get that choice once your fiber service is “lit”. That can easily take several months or even longer depending on the amount of construction involved. What do you do in the meantime?



There was a time when all you could do is sit there and cool your jets while you waited for your fiber service to be turned up. A number of carriers are now more sensitive to the plight of businesses that need bandwidth fast and have come up with a two-stage solution. It involves provisioning two services simultaneously. One if the high bandwidth fiber you want long term. The other is a copper-based service designed to tide you over until the fiber is active.

Why copper? Twisted pair copper services are the easiest and quickest to deploy because the copper is already in place. What copper? It the multi-pair telephone cabling that runs from your building to the nearest telco Central Office (CO). Inside that bundle are many individual pairs of small diameter copper wire. Some are used to provide standard analog business telephone service. The rest are spares for future use. These are the one you press into service for digital bandwidth.

The most common copper-based bandwidth service for business is T1. The T1 line offers you point to point dedicated private line connectivity or dedicated Internet access. It is highly reliable and only takes one or two twisted pair to install. T1 is now almost universally available. It is found in metropolitan areas and far out into the countryside. The signal regeneration capability of T1 circuits allow them to deliver service over miles and miles. If you can get business telephone service, chances are that you can also get T1 line services.

The one little fly in the ointment with T1 is the bandwidth. It is a meager, by today’s standards, 1.5 Mbps in both upload and download directions. That’s certainly not going to help much if what you really need is 50 or 100 Mbps over fiber. Fortunately, it is possible to get more than one T1 line at most locations. You can combine the bandwidth of those lines in a process called “bonding.” Bonded T1 lines range from 2 lines delivering 3 Mbps on up to 8 lines delivering 12 Mbps.

Granted, 12 Mbps isn’t the screaming 100 Mbps you might want, but it can easily be a good place to start. Some companies don’t really need even 50 or 100 Mbps at all times. A 12 Mbps circuit can be a lifeline to keep them going until the big pipe is transporting traffic.

Another possibility today is Ethernet over Copper or EoC. This service is a modernized form of copper-based bandwidth that uses the Ethernet protocol rather than a proprietary telecom protocol. EoC transmission can use the same spare copper twisted pairs that would otherwise be used for T1. A big advantage of Ethernet over Copper is that is can transport much high bandwidths over the same 4 or 8 copper pair. The tradeoff is distance. If you are close to the CO, you may be able to get up to 50 Mbps over copper. Farther away, you’ll be limited to 10 or 20 Mbps. Still, if EoC equipment is already installed in your CO, you may be able to get this service in a matter of weeks or less rather than many months for fiber.

If you are starting a new business, moving an office or establishing a new location, you may not be able to function without digital bandwidth service. If you decide to go with the two-step process to get up and running quickly, be sure to choose a solution that lets you cancel your copper service without penalty once the fiber link is up and running.

Some companies choose to keep the copper service active anyway in order to have a backup for their fiber optic service. Since one is fiber and one is copper, they are unlikely to be in the same cable and may not even take the same path. This offers protection against cable cuts and equipment outages that can leave you high and dry until repairs can be make.

Are you in or anticipating a situation where you absolutely need a bandwidth connection and can’t wait months for provisioning? Consider installing copper while waiting for fiber to get the business bandwidth you require.

3 Mbps to 6 Mbps Bonded Internet Access

Business Internet access is critical to communicating with customers and perhaps taking and fulfilling orders. You want rock solid stability and decent bandwidth, but at a price that won’t break the bank. Here’s a look at how you can incrementally increase your Internet connection speed to match your business activity.

Not that long ago, you had a couple of choices for dedicated Internet access. You could get a T1 line at 1.5 Mbps or move up to a T3 line (DS3 bandwidth) at 45 Mbps. There really wasn’t anything in-between. Shared bandwidth services offer a larger range of choices, but shared bandwidth means variable performance and assurance of availability. You also have to contend with asymmetrical speed, where download line speed is 10x the upload line speed.

Dedicated Internet access, like T1 and T3, offers symmetrical bandwidth that is the same for both upload and download, a fixed line speed that doesn’t vary, and high availability with a Service Level Agreement (SLA). The one issue is cost, especially when you need more than what a T1 line can provide but not the full capacity of a T3 line.

Sometimes you can get what’s called a fractional line service. The service provider installs a full capacity line, but rate limits your bandwidth. The result is referred to a fractional T3 or fractional DS3 service. It saves some money over the full service level but isn’t that great of a deal on a per Mbps cost basis.

A better option today is to order bonded line service to increase your bandwidth. Bonding is an industry standard for connecting multiple lines of the same type to combine their bandwidths. For instance, you can bond two T1 lines together and get 3 Mbps instead of 1.5 Mbps. The view from your router is one larger bandwidth service rather than juggling two separate lines. That bonding process takes place within the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) that is installed by the service provider.

Bonding is a great way to increase your bandwidth incrementally, but there are a couple of things to consider. First, you can’t just go out and buy a second T1 line from just anybody. You have to get your bonded lines from the same carrier. Remember that it is the service provider who does the bonding through equipment at both ends of the line.

Also, the cost goes up by the same increment as the bandwidth. In other words, two T1 lines cost twice as much as one T1 line. There is no economy of scale. That’s no big deal if you are happy with doubling your line speed and your cost versus have to pay 10x the price to move up to the next standard line speed increment of T3. However, this technique does get less attractive with the more lines that you bond in.

Yes, you can go beyond double bonded T1. Bond three T1 lines for 4.5 Mbps, four lines for 6 Mbps, 5 lines for 7.5 Mbps, 6 lines for 8 Mbps, 7 lines for 9.5 Mbps or 8 T1 lines to get 11 Mbps. By the time you get 8 T1 lines bonded, the cost may be approaching what you’d pay for 45 Mbps T3 and you’d have a lot higher line speed.

There is an alternate bonded line service that may give you more bandwidth for less money. This is Ethernet over Copper or EoC. Like bonded T1, EoC uses multiple wire pairs to transport the signal. Providers will bond 2, 4, 6 or 8 pair to increase the speed of Ethernet over Copper service. Unlike T1, EoC offers a much wider range of available bandwidth options. For the price of a T1 line, you can get 2 or 3 Mbps EoC. Other speed options include 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 Mbps. Cost per Mbps actually decreases as you order higher bandwidth levels.

The one limitation of Ethernet over Copper is availability. It is a newer service and not all central offices are equipped to provide this line service. Also, EoC is highly distance sensitive. You need to be close to your CO to get the highest speeds. Otherwise you may top out at 10 or 15 Mbps. That’s still about the best you can do with bonded T1 and for considerably less cost.

Are you looking for a rock solid connection to the Internet to support your business activities. If so, check availability and pricing for bonded T1 and EoC dedicated Internet access options.

Twice the T1 Line Bandwidth

Feeling a bit squeezed for bandwidth? That T1 line that seemed like a cavernous pipe when it was installed is now so loaded with packets that there is no room for new services.

You're not alone. A decade ago even larger companies were happy with T1 bandwidth. Now even small and medium businesses are feeling a bit pinched for throughput. This is the logical result of a move to more online applications and connectivity, along with the productivity improvements they provide. Bandwidth is the new system bottleneck. Not just any bandwidth, mind you. WAN or Wide Area Network bandwidth, the connection that leaves your premises, is the scarce resource.

Consider what is being loaded onto T1 lines lately. There's voice and data convergence. That's a switch from analog phones or traditional PBX to VoIP telephony sharing the data network. Enterprise applications, collaboration, Web based services, company Intranets, branch office integration, outsourcing, remote workers, and regulatory compliance all add loads to the WAN link that weren't there a few years ago.

So what to do? One impulse is to move on up to fiber optic services. There's almost unlimited bandwidth available on fiber wavelengths. It's just a matter of paying for it. Fiber optic bandwidth starts at an order of magnitude price increase over your traditional copper-based T1 line service. It goes up from there in almost order of magnitude steps. Plus there's the installation cost. Unless your building is already lit for fiber, just getting you hooked to the SONET ring may be cost prohibitive.

A more practical solution for most SMBs is bonded copper services. Bonding is a technology that bundles two or more T1 lines so that they act as one. Sure, you can order a bunch of individual T1 lines and try to make them play together yourself. But it's easier and cheaper to order a bonded solution that is already set up the right way.

MegaPath, a leading competitive provider of managed IP communications services, is currently offering ready-to-use Bonded T1 service available in much of the U.S. MegaPath Bonded T1 gives you 3 Mbps of highly reliable symmetrical data service. Symmetrical means you get the same 3 Mbps in both the upload and download directions. Only a single router is required, making connection to the company LAN easy.

If you need more than 3 Mbps, it is possible to bond 3, 4, 5, 6 or even more T1 lines together to create almost fiber optic bandwidths while still using copper pair wiring from the nearest Point of Presence. This can save you a bundle, while providing the throughput your business needs until such time that fiber optic connections are ubiquitous.

A number of competitive carriers are capable of supplying bonded T1 service. Why not check out their pricing for your business location so you can make an informed decision on when to order more bandwidth. You may be surprised to find that an upgrade costs much less than you would expect. Find out now with an instant online service quote from T1 Rex.