DS3 Internet Service Options

Medium size businesses and large corporations that have long exceeded the bandwidth available from T1 lines have migrated to DS3 Internet Service as the next logical step in telecom line services. Now there are more options than ever before for smaller businesses that have large bandwidth requirements and larger operations that need and want this level of service.

DS3, or Digital Signal level 3, is a longstanding telecommunications standard for digital transmission. It offers highly reliable 45 Mbps bandwidth for dedicated point to point, PBX telephone, or Internet connections. Smaller Internet Service Providers find DS3 service to be the right size and price to serve their customers. Other key applications are medical image transmission, video transport, and call center operations.

When DS3 was first deployed by the telephone companies, it may have been delivered by coaxial cable, microwave relay tower, or even rigid waveguide pipes. As soon as fiber optic trunk cables were available, DS3 logically moved to fiber based delivery. This is still the standard transmission medium for DS3, especially over long distances. Multiple DS3 signals are often multiplexed onto an OC3 or higher level SONET fiber optic carrier and demultiplexed to be dropped off where needed.

Recent developments by new network service providers with their own regional and nationwide fiber optic networks have dramatically lowered the price of DS3 services to where they are affordable by businesses and organizations that couldn’t previously afford the lease rates. They’ve also deployed additional deliver platforms so that there are multiple ways to get DS3 Internet.

If your building is already lit for fiber optic service, that’s likely the best option for DS3 Internet. If not, you might consider moving your high bandwidth Internet servers to a colocation center. Colo centers generally have the best prices on WAN bandwidth and the availability of multiple carriers to choose from. Construction costs are minimal due to everything being in the same building.

For business locations in a metropolitan areas, including nearby suburbs, there are a couple of other options for DS3 Internet. One is wireless transmission. This is line-of-sight microwave transmission on licensed bands from a carrier’s point of presence to an antenna on your building. It only works fairly close to the carrier and if there are no obstructions in the way.

DS3 over Copper isn’t affected by terrain or building density. This service uses multiple pair of standard twisted pair cabling to transport a DS3 level signal. Special modulation equipment is needed at each end of the path, which is provided by the carrier. DS3 over Copper (DS3oC) is also a relatively short range transmission scheme and is generally available only near carrier facilities.

Would your business benefit from a dedicated DS3 Internet connection, or do you already have one? If so, you owe it to yourself to check prices and availability of DS3 Internet for your business location. You may be surprised to find lower prices and more options that you expect.

Cut Telecom Line Expenses, Not Lines

In this recessionary business climate, keeping the enterprise afloat may mean throwing every non-critical expense overboard. Soon the obvious fat disappears from the budget and managers start questioning line items once thought sacrosanct. Do you really need 10 phone lines or could everybody get by with 5? Take turns calling if you have to. What about that Internet connection? Do we really need that T1 line when those 56K modems are still boxed up in the back room?

Good grief. Cost cutting can easily go from savvy business practice to organizational nightmare when desperation sets in. It's best to start coming up with reasonable reductions before upper management gets a whiff of blood in the water and goes nuts. Think through the justification for each budgetary line item yourself and make changes you can take credit for, or at least have proposals in your back pocket.

Now here's the good news. If you can keep a cool head at least for a little while, you may be able to get the savings your business needs while maintaining the services you need to be at your most productive. The trick isn't just to slash and burn every telecom expense you come across. It's getting the same functionality for less money. You don't necessarily want to cut your lines, and with them your livelihood. You want to cut the expenses associated with those lines.

Most companies have two types of telecom line services: voice and data. Video, such as video conferencing, can fall into either the voice or data category depending on how it's implemented.

Lets start with voice services. Most businesses of any size have a PBX telephone system that manages their telco connections. There may be some room for cost savings here because of the way the system has grown. It usually starts with a few lines, adding another and another as the company need grows. Pretty soon you've got a dozen or two individual lines. Usage reports say you need them all or customers will start getting poor service and some of your employees will be cooling their heels while waiting to place a call. But you aren't necessarily married to the configuration you have today. By consolidating all those individual phone lines into one or two T1 PRI digital trunks, you'll have the same level of service but at a discount.

If you already made the move to T1 lines years ago, you might still be able to save. Competitive prices for T1 voice lines, including long distance rates, have plummeted in the last few years. By running a competitive service check you can find out if a simple change of provider could result in significant cost savings for the very same usage.

The same logic applies to your business Internet service. A T1 dedicated Internet line might now be priced at half what you paid when you signed a multi-year lease years ago.T1 prices are very favorable right now and you can make a good deal getting into a better contract. Once again, you keep the same functionality you have now but simply pay less.

You might also want to consider some newer technologies, such as MPLS networks or Metro Ethernet to interconnect multiple business locations. SIP trunking offers a way to get high quality voice and data service delivered on a single line service. All of these services have become readily available only in the last few years. If they work for your situation, you could find very substantial cost savings available for the asking.