When shopping for business bandwidth options, the question one may ponder before leasing any kind of bandwidth line might be, "is a T1 enough bandwidth for my business needs?" No one single business will have the same needs that will outline like a cookie cutter and for that reason, we will try to outline some basics that can help answer this question for you.
Although this bandwidth option originally was designed for voice signaling, the birth of the Internet quickly transformed communications giving the T1 the notoriety it has today for business telecommunications and Internet connectivity.
A single circuit T1 transmits data at 1.544 Mbps per line, but this is probably already common knowledge to you. The real question should be what you plan on using your T1 bandwidth for and how many devices or users will be utilizing the line.
Employee/User Access
T1 Internet can allow a moderate 50 simultaneous users to access the bandwidth from their desktop computers or from your Wi-Fi without disrupting each other's connectivity. This figure however is made comfortably with the pretense that usage will not be overbearing with too much large file transferring or media streaming all at once.
Hosting Servers
Again, it is important to remember the same situation does not count for every business situation, but the common average for hosting servers over a T1 usually will never exceed two. While it is possible to host two, commonly only one will be hosted over a T1 connection. The reason for only one server is that usually the traffic to these servers. If you experience very little growth in terms of traffic however, two servers may work for your particular business.
Multiple Uses
So what happens though if you have various roles being played over your T1 bandwidth including perhaps some being partitioned off for phone lines? This scenario is all more than common for many businesses. For instance, a grocery store may have point of sales (POS) registers for transactions, back office reporting of sales, surveillance cameras, a sales data server, and customer service phone lines at POS as well as office (VoIP/SIP/PBX).
Upgraded Bandwidth Options
In many instances, larger operations can quickly find themselves needing more bandwidth. It is important to know the other options involved. First option available in many circumstances is the bonded T1 option with uses twisted T1 lines to the premises giving more bandwidth, and in many cases can solve the lack of bandwidth problems. In other cases a T3 (28 T1 lines) or OC-3 (84 T1 lines) is needed to make up for allocated bandwidth usage. These additional bandwidths are just starters to Ethernet options and larger SONET bandwidths OC-12 to OC-192.
The Best Way Work it Out
The very best way to really make an informed decision is to first take notes on every device that will be connected to your bandwidth and how you plan to use it. Seriously, write it all down first. Secondly, contact a business telecommunications broker or consultant. The majority of these brokers offer a no cost analysis of your situation and can discuss the proper options available to your business within your budget and get you reduced carrier rates on your bandwidth as well. Essentially, you end up saving time and money.
Author Resource:
Aaron Siegel of TopSavings.Net brokers business bandwidth to businesses, enterprise, and government agencies and offers free consultations and price quotes online for T1 broadband .
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