T1 Internet Service Prices and Rates Quotes in Grandin

Integrated T1 Progress Report

Friday September 19, 2008, 06:35 pm ET

CEDAR HILLS, Utah, Sep. 19 /Patrick Oborn/ -- Small businesses all over the country are discovering a whole new universe of broadband access. As the price of commercial-grade telecommunication services continues to drop, more and more enterprises are starting to drop their plain old telephone service lines in favor of all-digital T1 trunks that deliver voice and data over the same connection. These new enhancements were made possible by the increasing pace of consolidation in the telecommunication industry along with the increasing value bigger phone companies can provide.

Missouri, ordinarily not known for its telecom prowace, has been a hotbed for businesses making the move to dynamic telecom lines. One local business owner - Linda Peterson - who operates a travel agency, recently told us that "I never expected the phone company to come out with anything that would help me lower my costs. On the contrary. Ma Bell has had a history of raising my rates and making my life difficult. When I heard about the XO Flex package (offering 10 dynamic voice lines and 1.5 mbps of high speed Internet) at a price of under $500, I couldn't move over fast enough." Since then Linda reported a $150/month savings in her telecom expenses.

When asked about his recent decision to replace his TDM channelized T1 with a SIP-enabled dynamic T1, Robert Probst, small business owner in San Diego, explained that "it was really an easy decision to make. My business was growing and I couldn't afford the cost of more voice trunks. When I learned that it was possible to have up to 16 voice lines, and a full data T1 of high speed Internet bandwidth, all on the same line, for under $500 - I was sold. I ended up expanding the telecom capability of my business, improving the quality of my Internet connection, and saved money while doing it."

"I am very satisfied with my new XO dynamic T1" added Mike McLoude, a small business owner in Santa Monica, California. "The flexible nature of the system allows me to conduct business with the same efficiency as many of my bigger competitors, for less than what they pay." Mr. McLoude is not alone - many Californians are seeing the technology light and taking the leap of faith away from traditional TDM.

But how much longer will we continue to see improved technology, services, and prices? It's all in the hands of the Federal Communications Commission, as they have the power to sqwash the CLECs by proxy. No wonder AT&T and Verizon are the two biggest lobbying powers in Washington. It makes you wonder what kind of services they would be able to offer had they plowed that money into R&D instead of politics. Evolution has lead to a better, cheaper alternative to TDM services that the Bells were peddling for decades in a vacuum of competition. Now the industry, lead by the innovation and great business practices of the CLECs, seems to have turned a corner - leaving the incumbents playing catchup. Obviously, the main benefactor of all of this competition is the small to medium size business - a segment of the market that was taken for granted until today.