The Basics

S-O (Digital Signal Level 0) - A non-switched dedicated service that can be provisioned as a private line point-to-point and multi-point service.  Designed for full duplex transmission of voice, analog data and digital signals transmitting at speeds of 56 KBPS. The circuit is BI-directional and can move information in both direction

Your home telephone line is a DS-0 line.  You can get 56 KBPS of data or voice through your regular phone line.  The DS-0 is the “building block” of dedicated products.

DS-1 (Digital Signal Level 1) – The terms “DS-1” and “T1” mean the same thing!  Most industry experts are phasing out the use of the term T1 and calling it DS-1.  A DS-1 is simply 24 DS-O circuits all bundled together on one T-1 circuit.

DS-1 service provides a dedicated connection from the companies premises to a long distance switch, providing the user with a single high-capacity digital circuit for voice or data applications.  With a DS-1, a company has the choice of allocating all of the DS-0 channels for data, voice, or any combination of the two. 

T1 Internet Service

For super high-speed Internet, the user can allocate ALL 24 channels to data, giving them a two-way connection to the Internet at 1.544 MBPS!  (Typical DSL accounts run between 128KBPS and 728KBPS.)  DS-1 Internet connections typically range from $300 to $1000, depending on the geographical distance between the company and the long distance switch.

Companies who use T1 data connections are typically businesses who need very high speed internet connections to transact business, communicate electronically with other offices, and who either don’t qualify for DSL service or need more speed and increased reliability than DSL can offer.

T1 Voice Service

Companies with 12-24 phone lines also rely heavily on DS-1 voice service.  Since there are 24 DS-O circuits bundled together on one T-1 circuit, you can have 24 phone lines connected to the long distance carrier at the same time. Any number of the total 24 channels (circuits) can be set up as:

T1 Voice, however, has two costs associated with it.  1. The Local Loop, and 2. Long Distance Usage. The Local Loop is the flat fee that it costs to connect the company to the long distance switch.  This is a pass-through fee to the local phone company.  The Long Distance Usage (LDU) is a separate charge in addition to the local loop.  LDU rates for dedicated accounts are usually 10-40% less than regular switched long distance rates.

T1 PRI Voice Service

T1 PRI Voice Service is exactly the same as T1 “regular” service, with 1 exception: only 23 channels are dedicated to voice or data.  The last DS-0 channel is taken off to handle other applications, such as a connection with the local telephone network or routing to a hold queue until 1 of the 23 channels opens up.  Call Centers are the most frequent users of PRI Voice Service.

Integrated T1 (Voice and Internet) Service

Integrated T1 service is just what the name implies: both voice and data traffic on the same T1.  Since you have 24 channels (23 with PRI) to work with, you can divide up the load according to your company's need.  For example, a company may have 10 phone lines.  You can allocate 10 DS-0 lines for Voice, and 14 DS-0 lines for Internet. In this example, the company could handle 10 simultaneous calls while surfing the web at a speed of 896 KBPS.

Point-to-Point T1 Service

If a company requires constant connectivity to another office location, you should consider Point-to-Point T1 service.  This is the same as regular T1 service, except now you have a Local Loop on 2 ends instead of just 1.  This increases the cost of the monthly recurring local loop charge, but calls (or data transfer) between these two points is unlimited, with full duplex speed of T1 (1.5 MBPS).

Frame Relay Service

Frame Relay is for offices with 2 or more locations that require constant connectivity.  Unlike Point-to-Point, the end-user can select sub-T1 speeds between each satellite location and the main office (or Host). This reduces cost and allows for future upgrades in speed on an as-needed basis.

There two types of Situations: 

1.      Brand-new Installations – businesses looking to upgrade to T1 for the first time.

2.      Existing dedicated Installations – businesses looking to reduce their rates or add capacity. 

In both scenarios, the company is looking to save money.  Let’s go over a few examples to help illustrate how you might deal with each company type:

Scenario 1 – The “New Guy”

	Find the lowest inter-state and in-state discount long distance phone rates
	Local Phone Service
	Changing your location often? No problem! AccuDial for home and on the road.
	Satellite TV, Toll Free, Cellular/PCS, Calling Cards
	Use our Quick Links (SM) for even faster "connections"
	Also Discount Internet, Broadband, Hosting, and Domain Registration
	Services for business

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