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“The advantages of bonded T1 compared to the advantages of DS3.”

Bonded T1 or DS3?

Written by: Dennis Green - Aug 20, 2008

Bonded T1 consists of two or more T1 circuits, combined together to provide more bandwidth than a single T1 (1.54 megabits per second (MBPS)), but less than T3 (DS3). DS3 transfers data at 45 MBPS and provides a bandwidth that is the equivalent of 28 T1s. Bonded T1 provides many advantages over T3, if a customer happens to need 12 MBPS or less. When compared to DS3, bonded T1 costs far less. Bonded T1 can often be installed for free, and because it is provided over telephone lines, it is available virtually anywhere in the U.S. By contrast, T3 cannot be efficiently delivered through phone lines. For this reason, to reach most locations, to accommodate the delivery of a DS3 circuit, special lines or fiber must be installed. The common term for this is build-out. Build-out cost is extremely important to be aware of when considering DS3. Build-out is routinely not itemized or discussed by providers as DS3 quotes are being prepared. The major reason for this is that build-out costs cannot be accurately determined without an extensive survey of facilities. The cost of this survey prohibits providers from doing them routinely, without the commitment of a signed application from the customer. Depending on location of the customer, build-out costs can be in the tens of thousands of dollars, and at times more than $100,000. Again, because T1 and bonded T1 can be delivered over phone lines, there is almost never a build-out cost involved with installation. Another major advantage of bonded T1 over DS3, is that for lower bandwidths, the cost per megabit of bandwidth is considerably lower than for DS3. To provide lower bandwidths with DS3, the only option is fractional DS3. To provide fractional T3 (DS3), the same facilities must be used as would be needed for full DS3. Because the same physical facilities are needed, the cost per megabit of fractional DS3 is not proportional to the cost of full DS3. As an example, 5 MBPS of fractional DS3 can cost about $3000 per month. To obtain 6 MBPS of bonded T1, for most locations, would cost about $1800 per month. Another major advantage for bonded T1 is that when compared to DS3, or Fractional DS3, the cost of a managed router is extremely reasonable. For bonded T1, a managed router is often provided at zero installation cost. The installation cost for a managed router for fractional or full DS3 is about $5,000. The major limitation of bonded T1 is that only eight T1 circuits can be bonded. This means that the maximum amount of bandwidth that can be provided by bonded T1 is 12 MBPS. If more than 12 MBPS is needed, DS3 is commonly the best choice. Traditionally, bonded T1 was provided as individual circuits through the use of load balancing. Now, with the recent advent of MLPPP technology, bonded bandwidth can be utilized as one large pipe. This becomes extremely important when convergence is needed. For example, if one 12 MBPS circuit is going to be used for several applications, such as VOIP, Video Conferencing, routine data file transfer, etc, then class of service is needed to insure application prioritization. MLPPP facilitates successful class of service over bonded T1. To obtain real-time pricing for bonded T1 or DS3, please use the pricing tool at the top of this page, or on our home page. It’s free, easy to use, and there is no obligation. (Click here to return to top of page)

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DS3 is commonly used by large companies which need: point-to-point (private line) circuits, MPLS (multiprotocol label switching) VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), voice (telephone), internet traffic, VoIP call centers, video conferencing and broadcast quality video transmission. Alternatives to, or variations of DS3 include: DS1, bonded DS1, fractional DS3, burstable DS3, voice DS3, data internet DS3, integrated DS3 and OC3. Each of these variations has advantages over the others, depending on the specific needs of your company. Also, the availability of each is based on the offerings and geographic proximity of each DS3 provider. Every DS3 provider has different specialties related to geographic specialization and the services they offer. A provider is considered tier 1 if they are also the carrier, the owner of the facilities they offer. DS3 providers are considered tier 2 if they are the direct reseller of the services of one or more carriers. A provider who resells the services offered by tier 2 DS3 providers is considered tier 3. Often, the services of tier 2 providers are less expensive than those offered by a tier 1 provider. However, whenever a customer can purchase directly from the tier 1 provider for a price that is similar or better than offered by a tier 2, it’s generally better to go with the tier one. This is because as the carrier (owner of the facilities), the tier 1 provider has direct access to all of their facilities. Although, almost all tier two providers offer service level agreements (SLAs) to guarantee service levels, there is only so much they can do, if they do not have direct access to the facilities they are reselling. This becomes especially important during installation, maintenance, and emergency outage situations. In these situations the tier two must coordinate with the tier one to resolve issues. As a general rule, the more entities that are involved, the greater are the coordination issues which can arise. Excessive coordination issues can result in down time for the end user. In many cases, down time equates to lost services and/or lost revenues. Tier 1 providers can commonly provide most forms of bandwidth, including most of the DS3 related services listed above. Usually, tier 2 providers are more specialized in their offerings (less variety), depending on their underlying contracts with the tier one providers. As the authorized sales agents for the top 20 tier 1 and tier 2 providers in the country, we can provide real-time comparative availability and price quotes for your business. For pricing, use the quoting tool at the top of this page. It is simple to use, free, unbiased and there is no obligation. (Click here to return to top of page)

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