T1 Internet Service Prices and Rates Quotes in Tuckerton

Integrated T1 Progress Report

Thursday April 30, 2009, 06:10 am ET

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Apr. 30 /Patrick Oborn/ -- For many small to medium size businesses, higher productivity with relation to their broadband and voice services is just around the corner. Thanks in part to the recent price reduction trend in the industry, carriers have deemed it necessary to consolidate in order to offer more services at a lower cost than their rivals. Overlapping networks have been consolidated into leaner, more feature-rich versions of their previous selves, dramatically lowering the price small businesses pay for the popular dynamic integrated T-carrier (T-1) lines that combine local voice and high-speed Internet service into one connection.

"Commercial telecommunication providers were never on my Christmas card list" commented Jake Chang, a small business owner in Denver, Colorado. "Dealing with them meant erroneous bills, long wait times when trying to reach customer service, and taxes I could never understand. Now that we migrated to a dynamic integrated T1, my phone lines and high speed internet are bundled into one line with super reliability. Not to mention the fact that XO Communications, a CLEC, treats me like they actually want my business - not like I'm a pain in the you-know-what."

The adoption of any new telecommunications platform is never instantaneous. Many technologies, like VoIP for example, have been in the works for years without gaining much traction. Enterprises see communications as their life blood. Even though many are becoming aware of newer, cheaper mediums by which they can conduct business, the risk still outweighs the rewards in their minds. Couple the 'if it isn't broken, why fix it?' mind set with the telecom meltdown of the early 2000's and it isn't surprising that widespread adoption of new telecom services has lagged. However, the new technologies of IP-based voice systems are finally starting to gain an audience, and the chorus of satisfied customers continues to grow. As this momentum pushes forward, so does general acceptance of it viability.

To illustrate the types of decisions that small business owners are faced with on a daily basis, we interviewed Glenda Probst, small business owner in Los Angeles, California, about her recent move to a dynamic integrated T-1. "I was in a quandary about how to go about expanding the number of voice lines to my business. Before making the move to a dynamic integrated line, I was using POTs lines. After the fifth line, my bill was above $300/month, not including my $100/month DSL connection. Now, I have 12 pure digital voice lines, 1.5 MB of broadband, and I pay under $400 for it. It was a major upgrade in service with a reduction in total price. I only wish I'd learned about this product sooner."

Recent advances in technology, fostered by competition from growing CLECs, is bringing integrated T1 services to small business everywhere. And the trend doesn't look like it will change anytime soon. CLECs continue to grow their networks, offering more advanced services like metro ethernet, MPLS, and more. 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.