Business Ethernet Is A Smart Cost Effective Choice

Using Business Ethernet is becoming more and more cost effective for businesses that need more bandwidth than a T1 can provide. Although it is not as widely available as a T1 or bonded T1, in areas where it is available, it provides a very cost effective option for customers, where the pricing between 10 MB Ethernet and bonded T1 starts to blur around the 4xT1 neighborhood.

All Ethernet is not created equally and Ethernet is not required to run on fiber, depending on the amount of bandwidth desired. This is a common misconception. Some carriers offer "Ethernet" but what that means from some carriers is that it is simply DSL-like or even cable in nature, and you do NOT have dedicated access but like DSL and cable, the circuit is shared amongst 50-100 or more of neighboring businesses and even residences. It is for this reason that you want to go with a reliable carrier and a reliable telecom broker who can lead you through this increasingly complex maze of possible "gotchas".

For most common business solutions outside the main network interface, 1GbE is generally sufficient and 10GbE for high-traffic applications. The fiber Ethernet option is superior to bonded T1 – multiple pair T1 lines. The new Business Ethernet speeds will rival DS3 speeds – without the expense and virtually certain obsolesce of copper twisted pair wiring. Fiber optics are also lighter and easier to install as a general rule.

Telecommunications is a complex subject and with technology growing at nearly exponential rates, it is prudent to engage a knowledgeable and experienced consultant to determine the exact requirements and anticipated future needs of the company.

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Business Ethernet, DS3 Bandwidth, and More

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Networking 101...The Road to 100G

10GB, 40GB and 100GB. Is there anything different other then speeds in the latest editions to gigabit Ethernet? You might be surprised! Things like auto-negotiation are gone but a new concept called "lanes" are introduced. Is this the end of the line for copper? Take a walk with us on the "Road to 100GB" to find out!

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Business Ethernet

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Business Ethernet Pros And Cons

The most obvious pro for business ethernet is lower cost, while the biggest con against ethernet is geography (it's just not avilable everywhere yet). For the future, Wifi will some day be a connection of choice once higher speeds and significantly reliability becomes a priority.

Ethernet Technologies...

In the OSI model, Ethernet technology operates at the physical and data link layers - Layers One and Two respectively. Ethernet supports all popular network and higher-level protocols, principally IP.

Traditional Ethernet supports data transfers at the rate of 10 Megabits per second (Mbps). Over time, as the performance needs of LANs have increased, the industry created additional Ethernet specifications for Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet. Fast Ethernet extends traditional Ethernet performance up to 100 Mbps and Gigabit Ethernet up to 1000 Mbps speeds. Although products aren't yet abvailable to the average consumer, 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10000 Mbps) also remains an active area of research.

Ethernet cables likewise are manufactured to any of several standard specifications. The most popular Ethernet cable in current use, Category 5 or CAT5, supports both traditional and Fast Ethernet. The Category 5e (CAT5e) cable supports Gigabit Ethernet.

Types of Ethernet....

Often referred to as Thicknet, 10Base5 was the first incarnation of Ethernet technology. The industry used Thicknet in the 1980s until 10Base2 Thinnet appeared. Compared to Thicknet, Thinnet offered the advantage of thinner (5 millimeters vs 10 millimeters) and more flexible cabling, making it easier to wire office buildings for Ethernet.

The most common form of traditional Ethernet, however, is 10Base-T. 10Base-T offers better electrical properties than Thicknet or Thinnet, because 10Base-T cables utilize unshielded twisted pair (UTP) wiring rather than coaxial. 10Base-T also proved more cost effective than alternatives like fiber optic cabling.

Numerous other lesser-known Ethernet standards exist, including 10Base-FL, 10Base-FB, and 10Base-FP for fiber optic networks and 10Broad36 for broadband (cable television) cabling.

- Fast Ethernet

In the mid-1990s, Fast Ethernet technology matured and met its design goals of a) increasing the performance of traditional Ethernet while b) avoiding the need to completely re-cable existing Ethernet networks. Fast Ethernet comes in two major varieties: 100Base-T (using unshielded twisted pair cable), 100Base-FX (using fiber optic cable) .

By far the most popular of these is 100Base-T, a standard that includes 100Base-TX (Category 5 UTP), 100Base-T2 (Category 3 or better UTP), and 100Base-T4 (100Base-T2 cabling modified to include two additional wire pairs).

- Gigabit Ethernet

Whereas Fast Ethernet improved traditional Ethernet from 10 Megabit to 100 Megabit speed, Gigabit Ethernet boasts the same order-of-magnitude improvement over Fast Ethernet by offering speeds of 1000 Megabits (1 Gigabit). Gigabit Ethernet was first made to travel over optical and copper cabling, but the 1000Base-T standard successfully supports it as well. 1000Base-T uses Category 5 cabling similar to 100 Mbps Ethernet, although achieving gigabit speed requires the use of additional wire pairs.

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Business Ethernet

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Business Ethernet Facts

Developed by Xerox, Ethernet competed in the early days with Token Ring and Token BUS applications that were largely proprietary. It is used today because it is the only early network protocol that got the backing of the ECMA and eventually the IEEE so that a series of standards (802.3) could be put in place to dictate what the requirements were for interconnectivity using that standard. Ethernet had the backing of multiple companies (Xerox, Intel, & Siemens among others) which probably led to its early adoption vs. other more proprietary offerings.

Ethernet is the "preferred choice" for businesses today because it is really the only choice available. Nobody is extending a Token BUS circuit to businesses these days. "Business Ethernet" is no different than any other form of Ethernet - it's all just a technology used for connectivity. As such, it's hard to address the pros and cons of the technology since there is really no competing technology out there (perhaps wireless, but even that relies on Ethernet at some point). The real pros and cons come in to play with the mechanism used for the delivery of Ethernet.

- T1 - Pros: higher reliability, dedicated bandwidth. Cons: higher cost, lower bandwidth

- Cable Modem - Pros: lower cost, higher speeds. Cons: shared bandwidth

- EoC - Pros: dedicated bandwidth, higher speeds. Cons: distance limitations

- Fiber - Pros: highest speeds, dedicated bandwidth. Cons: usually highest cost

- DSL - Pros: low cost. Cons: low bandwidth, shared bandwidth, distance limitations

- Wireless - Pros: no wires. Cons: Cost, lower bandwidth (usually), signal interference

Ethernet (whether fast ethernet or gigabit ethernet) is certainly helping to change the landscape for many companies. I recently helped a client upgrade their network to 10Xs the speed at roughly the same cost. So the cost per megabit is certainly attactive. The biggest CON is availablity. During the RFP process, we had many carriers come through stating that it was available everywhere, but when push came to shove, a few sites had to settle for traditional DS3. Additionally, construction delays as well as equipment upgrades to handle the additional bandwidth needs to be taken into account.

Carrier Ethernet services are also easily managed end-to-end - including provision of user level information on the SLA metrics, using Ethernet OAM standards such as Y.1731.

Having dealt with WAN resiliency for many years with IP based networks/services then the approach of Y.1731 for path based monitoring and link loss forwarding to client CPEs makes things fairly simple and effective.

I realize that MPLS does provide similar functionality but with the benefits already listed I think OAM component rounds off the technology nicely.

In the future - I would think that Mac Sec deployments will also provide a bonus in terms of the security feature set of Ethernet services.

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Dedicated Bandwidth

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Why Is Business Ethernet So Popular?

Frankly, business ethernet popularity was pure luck leading to an effective monopoly.

Back in the 80s there were a number of competing network technologies, and several that could have been the basis for the dominant choice - ethernet just happened to grab pole position, which caused a positive feedback loop - because it was more used, the investment in further development could be funded and the competitors withered away, leading to further dominance.

Ethernet devices are cheap, and a lobotomized chimp could deploy it.

The disadvantage is the ports aren’t timed, and there is no native multiplexing for the separation of traffic (the closest you can get to running two completely separate networks over one port is VLAN and QOS). The disadvantages have been somewhat neutralized by advances and consolidation in the higher level protocols, a reduction in switch cost, and the raw speed of the devices.

The “break out” point for Ethernet in the office was when the 100BaseT switch was introduces. Not only was it a 10 fold increase in raw speed, throughput went from 40% of bandwidth to around 90%. Token Ring, FDDI (basically 100 base TR), and consumer ATM basically died that day.

Business Ethernet services have become standardized, largely due to the work of the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF). Ethernet has also improved significantly from just being ‘best effort’ and can provide service performance rivaling private line services, but with improved flexibility, scalability and cost effectiveness. One of the more appealing aspects of Ethernet services is it uses the same fundamental Ethernet technologies that are familiar to IT personnel and businesses can leverage this to have a common pool of resources to manage both their LANs and WANs.

Many Enterprises today use a wide variety of voice, video, data applications that run fine in a high-speed LAN, but have challenges being delivered remotely over WAN technologies not designed to accommodate them. These services are often delivered over a single private line, or multiple private lines to try and reduce contention, or over the Internet resulting in unpredictable application behavior, drop in quality, delays, user frustration. With Ethernet, application types can be configured with their own bandwidth profiles and QoS resulting in high performance for each application type and eliminating the need to overprovision private lines to accommodate.

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Business Ethernet

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Business Ethernet As The Prefered Choice For Business Voice/Data Networks

Given that business ethernet is the likely prefered choice by businesses today ... what makes it so attractive?

Ethernet is preferred because all customers have devices that already have Ethernet ports, everyone sort of knows what the cables look like (I have seen 4 line phone cables used - so maybe not quite simple enough for a lobotomized chimp, but still close). The interfaces already exist in, and lowers the cost of, switches, routers, firewalls and servers.

Also as the Telco’s bring Ethernet to the demark, it allows the customer to place less expensive and more basic equipment against the telecom provider (the WAN port), and it also allows the Telco to press a less expensive network management product deeper into the customer network – it’s a win/win for both the customer and the telecom vendor.

Most of the terms (business ethernet, metro ethernet, carrier ethernet, ethernet over copper, fast ethernet, and ethernet-MPLS) are marketing terms, those terms don’t exist in the technology. MPLS is MPLS, terms about how a packet enters the network is just some marketing person putting terms together so the salespeople can understand and explain the product. Marketing terms may “sort of” mean something, but a vendor can assign any meaning they want to them.

It’s like adding routing to a switch, and then calling it a Layer 3 switch. Layer 3 is routing, the definition of routing is an interface decision made at Layer 3 – marketing makes it a L3 switch, not technology.

The exception is “Fast Ethernet”. Ethernet started out at 10 Mbs – “Fast Ethernet” refers to all the 100Base-T products (100 Mb/s). Ethernet is a Packet type, not a port type, it can run over copper, fiber or wireless. There is also Gb Ethernet (1000BaseT), 10 Gb, 40 Gb, and 100 Gb. 40 and 100 are sort of inverse multiplexing of Ethernet – but that’s a different story.

The need for reliable data access that can accomodate remote workers and multiple locations makes the right connectivity a critical decision. No matter what term you use....or flavor you choose...business ethernet rises to the challenge.

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Business Ethernet

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DS3 Bandwidth Meets Business Network Needs

What applications and/or situations are good candidates for deploying DS3 bandwidth into your business network? Given that business ethernet would likely be the prefered choice for business data/voice networks today ... if it's available (e.g. metro ethernet...USA). My opinion is that DS3 bandwidth still has a place as costs have dropped dramatically in recent years making it much more cost effective....and business ethernet is not always available even if it may be prefered from a cost persepective if nothing else.

For example - - - a medical campus network with a major requirement for medical imagery (e.g. PACS, tomography), in addition to HIPPA, patient record management, and diagnostic data transfer ... an engineering firm with a heavy CAD load and video conferencing ... a financial entity with sensitive requirements for large transaction traffic, security, and data storage ... a resort/hotel complex with conferencing center, retail/restaurant section, high end business clientele, and significant daily business requirements (e.g. reservations, billing, vendor tracking, supply chain, etc.). These are just a few of many applications where DS3 bandwidth makes a lot of sense as a network solution.

A DS3 line is usually ordered by a business as a T3, “DS” and “T” mean the same thing to the user. DS technologies are “built-up” from DS0 – in other words, a DS0 will have 56K of bandwidth if the underlying “line encoding” is “AMI” and it will have 64K if the line encoding is B8ZS. AMI and B8ZS usually used different “framing” – so with the terms there will be a Super Frame (SF) or Extended Super Frame (ESF).

In the US, there are 24 DS0 to a T1 for 1.54Mbs of synchronous bandwidth, and there are 28 T1’s in a T3 for about 45Mbs. In UK and EU they are called E1’s and E3’s, the E1 has 32 DS0’s for about 2Mbs, and the E3 has 16 E1’s for about 34Mbs

A T3 gives you 45 Mbs of bandwidth, in 28 T1’s. The advantage of the T3 over other technologies is the underlying frames are transmitted regardless of whether or not they contain data. The T3/DS3 carries the 45 Mbs of data to a carrier Point of Presence (POP), where it attaches to a DAC’s or HLI/MX panel, where it’s aggregated to fiber to leave the PO for further routing. At this, or any subsequent point, it may terminate into a switch or router.

While you can take advantage of the fact the DS3/T3 is made up of DS0, which can be “rerouted” individually from the POP – you may also just treat the T3/DS3 as just 45 Mbs of bandwidth to use however you choose.

An example would be sending videos around the country over ATM. Many large companies would buy one at HQ, and then split each T1 to a remote offices either P2P or doing an ATM (on the DS3) to Frame Relay (at the remote) conversion (you can also do this with MPLS). The DS3 line can also be attached to Internet routers as a 45Mbs path, analog Voice (or SIP/VoIP), or Point-to-Point lines between sites.

An advantage of the DS3 over Ethernet service delivery is it can carry packet data and analog data at the same time. It is a vastly superior interface to Ethernet, not withstanding the more complex installation. It can do anything an Ethernet delivered service can do, and more.

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DS3 Bandwidth

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Why Ethernet Is Your Most Cost Effective Option For Business

Why Ethernet Is Your Most Cost Effective Option For Business
By Jon Arnold

There is a lot of misinformation out there about what Ethernet is, and since the term has become popular, even many of the cable companies are saying they now provide "Ethernet". While that may be true from a technical perspective, Ethernet from a cable company is still the over-subscribed and over-saturated network that you get with typical cable. As the saying goes, you can put lipstick on a pig but....

Ethernet solutions from real carriers who provide dedicated connections are not for residential use or home businesses, simply because the price for 3-4 users can rarely be justified. But if your business is at a point where you are looking at using, or perhaps are already using a T1 line or maybe even a bonded T1 line, and almost without a doubt if you are using a DS3 or OC-x circuit, Ethernet is by far a much more cost effective connectivity solution.

The bad news is that Ethernet is not available everywhere. While a T1 circuit, bonded T1 circuit, and even for the most part, a DS3 circuit can be installed just about anywhere you can get a phone line installed from your local phone company, Ethernet is not nearly as widely available. But that said, it is becoming more and more available every day across the nation, and indeed across the world. Ethernet solutions are available in just about every major city today, and if your business is located in or near a city with a population of 100k or more, chances are pretty high that Ethernet options are available to you today.

How much more cost effective is it? Much of that depends on what kind of Ethernet you want to get. At the lower end, there is EOC or Ethernet Over Copper, sometimes also known as EODS1 or Ethernet Over DS1. Those types of circuits, as the name implies, are delivered over copper lines and can start as low as 3 MB. But that 3 MB Ethernet circuit is probably going to cost as much as HALF as much as the SAME bandwidth of a two bonded T1 circuit. If you really need a fiber connection, your lowest end option is going to start at 10 MB Ethernet, but again, that 10 MB Ethernet circuit on what is known as Fast Ethernet is going to cost about half as much (or even less) as equivalent bandwidth on a bonded T1 or fractional DS3. Above 100 MB Ethernet, now you get into Gigabit Ethernet.

Let's talk for a moment about copper versus fiber, since this seems to be a point of confusion and more general misinformation. For a given level of bandwidth, say 10 MB, two circuits both delivering 10 MB of bandwidth, one on copper and the other on fiber, will finish in a dead heat. Fiber is not faster, contrary to what many believe. But fiber is able to be upgraded to higher levels of bandwidth, whereas copper starts to peter out at higher levels of bandwidth, but at about the 10-15 MB level, even as much as 20 MB in some major cities, there is NO speed difference between copper and fiber.

If you are looking for your best value for Business Ethernet services from a reliable and rock-solid carrier who will provide dedicated Internet services to your business with leading Service Level Agreements, check out what might be available in your area from amongst the 35+ carriers we represent, where we guarantee that the price we offer from those carriers is the lowest that they will offer, even if you go to the carrier directly.

Don't throw money down the drain if you don't need to. In these economic time, businesses need and want to maximize the money they spend for communications costs, and utilizing Business Ethernet for your connectivity needs is a great place to start. For a free quote or more information, please visit our web site at Business Ethernet

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The Advantages of Ethernet Services

Ethernet technology has long been used to efficiently and effectively build LANs within business settings. Its widespread presence in the business world is a testimony for its simplicity and efficiency, as well as its ease of use and management. Now, Ethernet extends into the wide area as a cost-effective solution for connecting business sites to each other and to the Internet. Wide-area Ethernet services are an ideal choice if your business has intensive bandwidth demands and multiple locations in one or more major cities.

Until recently, only a select few service providers offered separate metro Ethernet services (connecting sites within the same city) and long-haul Ethernet services (creating a point-to-point connection between sites in different cities) over expensive fiber networks. Previously, the cost and availability of Ethernet technology put it beyond the reach of most businesses. Today’s Ethernet services use relatively inexpensive and omnipresent copper line to deliver the speeds that small and medium businesses and enterprises need.

In this design, the Ethernet service operates in the same way as any other access service, allowing one site to connect to another site on your network, whether across town or across the country, or connecting to the Internet. This design also means that sites can be configured into virtual private networks (VPNs), regardless of the access service used at each location.

Where available, Ethernet services offer bandwidth from 2x2 Mbps up to 45x45 Mbps per circuit, at a much lower cost than DS3 access or comparable bonded T1 service. Ethernet bandwidth is symmetrical, and delivers the same speed for uploads and downloads on the network connection, making it an ideal solution for businesses that need to upload and download data.

Ethernet services are easy to install and manage because the technology uses your existing copper-loop infrastructure, an Ethernet bridge, a router, and a standard, familiar 10/100 Ethernet interface. With some providers, it is also easy to add voice, security, and collaboration hosting services to your business Ethernet connection. This simplicity and support for multiple network services means Ethernet is easily scalable to meet the growing demands of your business.

By using loop-bonding technology, Ethernet offers greater reliability and bandwidth efficiency than a bonded T1 connection, which uses link-bonding technology. More flexibly for using existing circuits is also possible with loop bonding, which can combine circuits with any mix of bandwidth. In contrast, link bonding requires the same bandwidth on each circuit, e.g., bonding only a 1.5 Mbps T1 circuit to another 1.5 Mbps T1.

Although both methods are effective, loop-bonding is a newer technology that reduces overhead and deals with loop failure more efficiently. That means more bandwidth is available for applications in an Ethernet service and your network connection will have higher reliability than alternative access methods.

Service providers offer Ethernet as a fully managed solution, with round-the-clock, proactive network monitoring and management. The solution is also typically backed by service level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee network uptime, as well as time windows for installation and problem response.

If you're interested in learning more about what business ethernet services can do for you ... including a comparison of available providers ... simply request a free quote here:

Business Ethernet Services

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Is Business Ethernet the Right Choice For Your Network?

It’s a common experience in business networks... give users more bandwidth and they’ll immediately find applications that need even more. The traffic load on access circuits in local offices is increasing at a faster pace today because more users rely on business networks for more applications and more services to do their work. And as office setting change to accommodate remote workers and multiple locations, the ability to share information becomes even more critical for business success and growth.

Yet simply increasing bandwidth on existing circuits isn’t necessarily the best choice for solving this problem. Taking a look at your business’ network needs — and all the services available to meet them — can help you identify more cost-effective solutions for higher network performance. Business Ethernet is the perfect choice for this scenario.

Businesses today seek simpler and more cost-effective network solutions to support needs, such as:

- Running application servers and/or accessing cloud services for websites, email, databases, and business applications

- Transferring large data, image, or video files

- Using bandwidth-intensive applications

- Supporting remote workers or virtual private networks (VPNs)

- Delivering Voice over IP (VoIP) and video conferencing services with end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) to local offices

- Delivering content to their end customers, suppliers, and business partners

In the past, the traditional T1 and bonded T1 access circuits have been the primary option for network connectivity, especially for local offices. Now Ethernet-over-Copper (EoC) technology allows service providers to offer their customers a new choice in most of the locations: Managed Ethernet Services.

Ethernet services can deliver particular benefits to businesses in several industries.

Retail and Restaurants. Connect stores, restaurants, distribution centers, and management offices within a city while taking advantage of additional provider services such as such as PCI compliance and managed voice and network security services.

Healthcare. Transmit digital images, electronic health records, and billing data between local clinics while meeting the increasing demands of HIPAA compliance. Real Estate. Give agents the high bandwidth they need for video home tours and integrated voice communications with advanced features like find me/follow me.

Banking/Financial. Combine voice and data services on a single, secure connection for more efficient branch-office communications.

Education. Offer distance learning programs and connect satellite campuses over a single network that also supports WiFi Internet access for students, faculty, and staff.

For no cost help finding the right business ethernet solution for your particular business requirements ... including a comparison of available providers ... simply request a free quote here:

Business Ethernet Solution

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What to Look For In A Business-Class Ethernet Service

When evaluating any access service, it’s important to look at the technologies and design in the provider’s network. A service provider with its own MPLS-based network can deliver the exceptional performance, redundancy, and flexibility necessary to support business-class Ethernet services and VPNs. Because the traffic routing decisions are made within the network, not at the access point, MPLS technology can load-balance the network and route traffic efficiently, for no single point of failure and a high-quality user experience.

To connect all of your sites into a single network, the provider should offer a choice of access types, including traditional T1 and DSL services. When the provider also offers managed solutions for voice, network security, and cloud-based collaboration over the Internet access service, you can meet nearly all of your communications needs in one place.

Equally important is the quality of the provider’s network support and monitoring services. Support should be available 24 / 7 / 365 to help users and resolve problems. And providers that offer advanced, proactive network monitoring can maximize the availability of your wide-area Ethernet connections.

Use this list as a guide for what to look for when evaluating the Business Ethernet offerings from service providers.

Ethernet Service Evaluation Factor

* Offers Ethernet service for all target locations nationwide

* Supports symmetrical speeds up to 45 Mbps

* Initial and monthly recurring costs for Ethernet service

* Automated installation processes to speed deployments

* Multiple options for access circuits where Ethernet is not available

* Other managed services available:

- Voice
- Network Security
- Hosted Collaboration

* Class of Service (CoS) support at the access circuit level for voice

* Nationwide MPLS network with Ethernet available in major cities

For no cost assistance to help you find the best fit for network connectivity ... including a comparison of providers per the recommended factors above ... simply request a free quote here:

Evaluating Business Class Ethernet

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Broadband Comparison....Which Data Service Is Right for Your Business?

To determine the best business-class connectivity option for your business network, it is important to evaluate your business’ employee needs — such as do employees perform high volumes of Web browsing, do they require video streaming services, and are Voice services and other cloud-based applications required — and proximity to the services. Understanding your business’ technological requirements will help take the guesswork out of choosing the optimal business-class connectivity service.

T1, Bonded T1, and Business Ethernet connections provide true business-class connectivity. They offer the same uptime SLAs (99.99%), provide symmetrical upload and download speeds (T1=1.5 Mbps, Bonded T1=up to 12 Mbps, Ethernet=up to 45 Mbps), and are widely available in major metropolitan areas. Business Ethernet is faster and generally more cost competitive than T1 and Bonded T1 connections. It has become a popular business-class connectivity option for companies and is out-pacing T1 sales in some markets. For businesses located in dense metropolitan areas, Ethernet over Copper offers greater flexibility and provides the best connection speeds at the best prices.

In addition to choosing a broadband type, it is also important to conduct an Internet providers comparison in order to ensure the Internet services provider you select is able to meet your business' current and future needs.

For help evaluating the most appropriate connectivity option for your business network ... including a comparison of available providers ... simply request a free quote here:

Broadband Comparison

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GeoQuote Produces One Millionth Quote

After nearly ten years of quoting, GeoQuote has produced its 1,000,000th quote for dedicated bandwidth and other network services. GeoQuote was originally created and patented in 2003 by Telarus to help you check broadband and telecom service pricing from over 40 suppliers nationwide. Offering real time quotes via email....with follow-up research on special unadvertised pricing....Geoquote is able to find the most cost effective solution to meet any need.

GeoQuote has now become the industry standard for carrier research. GeoQuote has become a great source of intelligence and efficiency for businesses needing solutions for their voice, data, or internet networks. Covering T1 lines, DS3 bandwidth, SONET, fiber, MPLS, business ethernet (fast ethernet, gigabit ethernet, metro ethernet, carrier ethernet Ethernet over Copper), cloud services, SIP trunking, business VoIP, hosted PBX, wireless solutions, co-location options, and more.

Try it out yourself .... simply request a free real time quote HERE

Voice, Data, Internet Network Solutions

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Telecommunication News For October 2012...Ethernet over Copper, Hosted Voice, High Speed Networks, Business Ethernet, Optical Networking, Fiber, And More

Here's the current news for October from the telecommunications industry.

* MegaPath - completes national Ethernet over Copper rollout, adding to the largest EoC footprint in the United States.

* Zayo - wrapped up its acquisition of the remaining piece of USCarrier Telecom.

* XO Communications - announced its expansion into the Toronto market where it can now offer high-speed network services to enterprise and wholesale customers.

* Integra - now offers Hosted Voice Service. This service provides a fully managed and feature-rich integrated voice, data and equipment solution for business customers of all sizes.

* CBeyond - has selected BTI's Ethernet Business Services and Metro Packet Optical Networking Solutions to rapidly provision services to small and mid-sized businesses on its high-speed dedicated network.

* tw telecom - aims to reach more than 300 new business customers by expanding its fiber network to fast-growing parts of Kansas City.

To take advantage of any of the services dicussed above simply request more information and a free quote HERE

Network Solutions

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When It Comes To Ethernet Pricing, Integra Telecom Can't Be Beat

Integra Telecom is a facilities-based CLEC offering service across 11 western states with significant fiber network assets, including a 3,000+ route-mile (160,000 fiber miles) metro area network and more than 5,000 route-mile long haul network. Integra is currently the 4th largest CLEC in the U.S.

In contrast to companies that simply resell services from the monopoly Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOC), Integra Telecom owns and operates its own network offering local dial tone, domestic and international long distance, high-speed Internet and data services (including digital subscriber line or DSL), voice messaging, and numerous ancillary services designed to support the communication needs of businesses including business phone systems.

Integra Telecom also provides managed services and converged Internet Protocol (IP) network services that combine voice, Internet access, and private data networking for small and medium sized companies, enterprises, national and government accounts.

To learn what Integra Telecom services can do for your business simply request a free quote here ...

Integra Telecom

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How To Get Free Real Time Quotes For Business Voice, Data, & Internet Services

See just how easy it is to get FREE real-time quotes on T1 lines, DS3 Bandwidth, Business Ethernet, MPLS, cloud services, business VoIP, PRI, business phone service, and MUCH more using the patented quote system at FreedomFire Communications.

To get your free quote for business voice, data, or internet services simply ask here ...

Business Voice, Data, & Internet Services

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Comcast Business Class vs. Comcast Metro Ethernet

A friend just attended a cloud computing seminar, sponsored by Comcast, and they talked about their dedicated ethernet, a symmetrical dedicated line that provides speeds from 10 MB/s up & down to 10 GB/s up and down.

Unlike their Business Class service, Metro has a Service Level Agreement... which is a big deal to my friend as Business class service at one of his locations goes down at least twice a month, with no notice to him and with no ramifications for them. He has to call and tell them he is down, they send a tech 2 - 4 hours later, and then he has to call billing to get a credit. This is a bad use of his I.T. department's time and infuriating to the entire staff. It has put such a bad taste in his mouth that he has thought about buying out their contract and switching ISP's.

Metro versus Business class

The SLA makes metro par with the major T1 service providers and is better than Business class. But I don't really see any process difference here in any case. Even on managed T1 services, you still have to call in and open tickets for local site repairs. The only thing that is automated on any of these SLA services are area or core outages.

When your local site is the only one affected, none of the carriers are going to call or dispatch to you. They will basically assume this is a local site power issue until you open the ticket. And when you do open the ticket they basicly ask for this confirmation of local power and physical access times.

Metro costs

Location is a big issue. Metro for Comcast is a new infrastructure separate from everything else. This is great if your building is already inside their foot print. But even if your are on the right street there is still a cost to get the service inside your space. Comcast does not have a price list because they are very up front about incorporating the cost of the install into your contract term. In short, the farther you are from the fiber and the harder your building to penetrate the higher your cost at the end of the day. One site I was looking at had enormous install costs due to a historic building in a restored district.

Metro Technology

The major difference here is ethernet based fiber interconnects instead of copper. This essentially means that scaling bandwidth is a matter of software down the road so growth is easier.

This also then allows vlan integration across physical sites. You can pump tagged frames and mix vlans across buildings. You can choose to centralize internet access with no speed penalty and have a single proxy control point. Or you can easily bridge two physically separated data center racks for disaster recovery or redundancy.

Metro ethernet is a newer class of service that many companies are getting into. So if you like the architecture, you may also have options depending on the area.

To explore your metro ethernet options including Comcast and over 40 other providers simply request a free quote from here ....

Business Ethernet

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ACC Business... Plug Into The Power Of AT&T

Until recently, ACC Business' rock bottom pricing has only been available in AT&T regions, but now thanks to a new promo, non AT&T regions can now enjoy the same benefit.

Effective June 23rd, 2012 the EaMIS II Promotion being offered by ACC Business, has now even better pricing for ATT instate/in region opportunities. Start taking immediate advantage of these fabulous rates and stay ahead of the curve with ACC Business. As an example...10mg Ethernet used to be $1076 with router...NOW ITS $968!

To see what ACC Business can do for your network requirements simply request a free quote here ....

ACC Business Ethernet And More

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Comparing Business Ethernet And DS3 Bandwidth

When businesses are looking for the right bandwidth solution for critical business network applications, the popular options today are DS3 bandwidth and Business Class Ethernet. Either are a good choice as long as you understand what each can do for you. Do your homework, compare pros and cons as they relate to your network requirements, and choose wisely.

Outside of the cost difference between DS3 bandwidth and Business Ethernet (Ethernet tends to be cheaper or at least very competitive) , the speed varies a wide range from 45 mbps to 100 mbps to 1000 mbps (FastE to GigE). If you shop around you’ll likely discover that DS3 line costs have dropped dramatically in today’s market. Still, Ethernet pricing is attractive where it is available. Where it is not, build out costs may be prohibitive. In terms of reliability, they're similar because they're both dedicated bandwidth circuits.

The traditional high bandwidth network connection is a DS3 line, delivering up to 45 Mbps of connectivity. Today, most DS3 services are provisioned over fiber optic cables with a copper handoff at the demarcation point. In some cases, you can get DS3 brought in over coaxial copper or even wireless transport. There’s plenty of flexibility available currently to deliver DS3 capacity with little restriction from the transport mechanism.

For application, a DS3 circuit works as a reliable backbone for large networks with substantial voice/data/video traffic needs. For example, organizations that need high bandwidth such as headquarters phone lines (PBX and/or VoIP), company Supply Chain Management (SCM) systems, high traffic websites, Hospital medical imaging and diagnostic systems, data/disaster recovery and backup networks, video conferencing facilities, multi-media or virtual design centers, high security networks, and ISP backbones. Where DS3 is not quite enough capacity, opting for the “next up” OC3 circuit (fiber optic bandwidth transmission) is an option.

An alternative to DS3 is Carrier Ethernet, especially Metro Ethernet in larger cities. Ethernet services offer standardized speeds of 10, 100 and 1000 Mbps to match the common LAN (Local Area Network) speeds. But most Ethernet providers also offer other increments in 1, 5 or 10 Mbps steps. A 50 Mbps Ethernet service provides similar bandwidth to DS3.

So how do you choose one service over another?

If you need the channelization of traditional TDM services for telephony or other applications, DS3 already meets this standard. It is easily multiplexed and de-multiplexed to interface with T1 lines on the low end to SONET fiber optic services (e.g. OCx) on the high end. On the other hand, if your network interests are extending your LAN or an already converged voice and data network, Metro or Carrier Ethernet is the logical connection. Make sure to understand your existing network configuration to enable a smart decision here. Otherwise, you risk potential frustration and an “apples and oranges” scenario.

If you have any concern for interface issues don’t worry. You can opt for a Managed Router Service which will take care of any such issues. Most networking applications are now packet based and more easily interfaced to Ethernet WAN services than legacy Telecom standards. But since the interface circuitry is generally an off the shelf router module, it may not matter all that much. If you go with a managed router, the service provider will take care of providing the proper customer premises equipment and monitoring the line and interfaces for proper operation. No matter whether you choose DS3 or Ethernet. In some cases, you may also get the vendor to provide the router at no cost … whether on site or remote (managed). Be sure to ask if this accommodation may be extended to you. It won’t in every case, but it’s worth asking.

Don’t overlook availability of Fractional DS3 and Burstable DS3 either. Fractional DS3 services are available that offer less than 45 Mbps for a lower monthly lease cost. You can get fractional DS3 bandwidth at the speeds where T1 bonding becomes impractical (around 10 or 12 Mbps bandwidth depending on your intended application usage). You can also go the other direction with Burstable DS3. Which allows you to start at usually 45 mbps and increase your bandwidth as your needs grow. A Burstable DS3 is the ideal solution for businesses who seek ultra-fast connectivity for their Internet needs.....and don't require full OC3 load capacity just yet but may in the future.

On the Ethernet side, with scalable Ethernet you can specify nearly any bandwidth from 1 Mbps up to 10 Gbps and often upgrade to higher levels with just a phone call to your service provider. The flexibility of bandwidth scaling offered with Ethernet is a major advantage to this transport option.

Be advised that an Ethernet connection is not available in every location. Normally this limitation is restricted to where the network providers have fiber already laid out in the neighborhood. You’ll most often find major cities or urban areas to be “lit” while more rural locales are not. Where Business Ethernet isn’t available, a DS3 or OC3 circuit is the best option for a company that needs more bandwidth to grow.

If you're fortunate and you're in an area where Ethernet connections are available, whether they're FastE or GigE, count your blessings and go for it. The cost can vary from depending on the bandwidth needed and local loop (distance from the tie in to the providers Point-Of-Presence or POP). The FastE cost and GigE cost are usually less than per megabit than a DS3 or OC3 … or at the minimum very competitive.

So which bandwidth option offers the best value? The fact is that DS3 and Ethernet bandwidths compare favorably. Which you choose for your particular application will most often be determined by which service offers the best pricing for your particular business location. Therein lies the foundation for your decision …. all else being equal. DS3 bandwidth is perfect for most applications. However, if a company is price sensitive and the solution is available Business Ethernet would be the recommended alternative.

For assistance finding the right dedicated bandwidth fit for your organization’s needs …. and to save you time, money, and aggravation … I strongly recommend using the free help available to you here:

DS3 Bandwidth And Business Ethernet

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Who Is TW Telecom?

tw telecom specializes in Business Ethernet and transport data networking, VoIP, VPN, security, dedicated Internet access, and local and long distance voice services. As of 2011, tw telecom installed the largest quantity of Ethernet ports, second only to AT&T and Verizon.

What You Should Know About tw telecom

tw telecom generates net income, which is noteworthy for three reasons. First, it means hey're not going anywhere. Second, it means they have the resources to invest more in their network, which is already the largest competitive fiber network in the country. They even have money earmarked to build fiber to customer-specific locations, for the right deals. Third, tw telecom did not lay off anyone in the downturn, not customer service people, not provisioning staff, no one. The result is an award-winning customer experience, which they see as competitive differentiator, and a fundamental driver of their financial success.

tw telecom Products....

* Bonded T1
* Frac/Full DS3
* Frac/Full OC3/12/48
* Integrated (SIP Handoff)
* Integrated (PRI Handoff)
* Integrated (Analog Handoff)
* Local Voice
* Point to Point
* MPLS
* Ethernet WAN
* MPLS with Voice
* Storage Transport
* Frac 10 Gig Metro Ethernet


tw telecom Network Map




To take advantage of any of the offerings from tw telecom for your data or voice network .... especially the business ethernet solutions .... simply request a free rate quote here:
Business Ethernet

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