There are many internet service options available for businesses today. They range in speed from under 1 Mbps (1000 Kbps) to 1 Gbps (1000 Mbps), reliability, uptime, repair time, installation time and how quick they are (latency). In this post, we’ll compare two popular internet services – DSL and T1 Internet Access. The differences between the two are night and day, but to put it simply “you get what you pay for”.

T1 Internet Access

The downside of T1’s

  • Expensive: Starting at $250.Mo and up
  • Slow Speed

The upside of T1’s

  • Available virtually anywhere
  • Quick: Very Low Latency
  • Consistent
  • Extremely Reliable
  • Immediate response to trouble or outages
  • Ability to handle Voice traffic well
  • Guaranteed by the Telephone companies

T1 circuits are copper based circuits that are delivered to a business using a dedicated line (not shared – private). T1’s have been popular for years because of their reliability, guarantees and quick performance. They are considered by many as entry level business class connections – meaning they are designed for business use and will provide maximum up-time and performance. A stand alone T1 line provides 1.5 Mbps of bandwidth, which is slow by today’s standards. However, by combining or bonding multiple T1 lines, it is possible to reach speeds of 12 Mbps. T1’s are expensive – typically ranging from $250.00/mo to upwards of $900.00/mo or more. This makes T1’s one of the most expensive connections when breaking it down “Per Meg”. Although they have a smaller internet “pipe” and are more expensive then consumer level connections such as FiOS, DSL and Cable, they are truly business class connections that will deliver consistent up-time and reliability. People normally assume that the more bandwidth a connection provides, the “faster” it will be. This isn’t always true. Although T1’s have less internet “pipe” than DSL, FiOS and Cable, they are actually quicker when going from point a to point b. T1’s have very low latency, which means data going from point a to point b actually gets their faster than consumer level connections. The downside is that they are limited to 1.5 Mbps of bandwidth per T1, so downloading/uploading files is limited to that speed – which is why it takes longer to download a file over a T1 then on DSL or cable. But make no mistakes, T1’s are powerful, quick connections. For businesses that depend on the Internet, T1’s should strongly be considered over the cost savings of consumer level connections.

DSL Internet Access

The downside of DSL Connections

  • Not a priority service
  • Outage response is much slower than a T1 – typically 24 hours before dispatch is authorized
  • Higher latency than T1 circuits
  • Not guaranteed by the Telephone Companies
  • Not available everywhere

The upside of DSL Internet

  • Inexpensive: Starting as low as $49.95/Mo
  • Faster Download Speeds than T1 Circuits
  • Quick Installation – typically 7 days or less
  • Bonding DSL circuits delivers even faster speeds

DSL circuits – along with FiOS and Cable Internet connections are considered “non-priority” services and are rated as consumer level. This means – in most situations – the DSL line you have at your business is the same service and network as if you had it at your home**. The only difference between your home connection and your business connection is the price. Providers will charge more for a business connection assuming that it will be used more and will require more bandwidth. Consumer level connections are great if your business does not depend on the Internet for day to day operations. When there are issues on DSL and other consumer level connections, there is no “guaranteed” time that the trouble will be fixed, only that the telephone company will try their best to fix it in a timely manner. Consumer level connections do not come with any guarantees from the telephone company. The upside to DSL connections is that they are inexpensive and fast. A single DSL line is capable of 7 Mbps, while newer ADSL2 technology has been said to go as fast as 54 Mbps. By bonding DSL lines together, speeds of 21 Mbps can be achieved.

The bottom line: When your business depends on the Internet, it is always highly recommended to use a true business class connection such as a T1. Many businesses choose to risk it and go with DSL for the cost savings, but realize when they have issues that without the Internet their business is losing money. A T1 is like Internet insurance for your business.

Want the highest level of up-time? Combine a T1 connection with a DSL connection. By utilizing two internet connections, which are different types of technology, you lower your chance of internet outages which can affect the bottom line. Ask us about our bundled T1 and DSL packages.

** TrueNet DSL is different than Verizon or other telephone company DSL services. We do not provide residential DSL and transport DSL connections over our business class network – meaning our users typically see better speeds and performance.