Article

Business.Spectrum.com

Looking Beyond T1Fiber Is the Future

What are the alternatives?It is important to understand some of the alternatives to T1 lines in order to make an educated decision about how to replace T1. Two such options are T3/DS3, and fiber optic.

• T3/DS3: OT3 (or DS3) is essentially a faster version of T1. With a transmission rate of 45 Mbps, T3 comes much closer to meeting the current bandwidth demands of business consumers. It uses coaxial cables and connects through a cable line close to the business location.

• Fiber Optic: The industry standard is quickly moving toward unlimited bandwidth, which can only be provided by a fiber-optic connection. Fiber optic also can be provisioned anywhere. It’s a widely available, scalable, and affordable alternative to T1 lines.

What do businesses need?Businesses are evaluating a transition away from T1 lines because they have evolving and important needs, including speed and business continuity requirements. Fiber optic can satisfy them both:

Speed - In the business world, a quick and reliable connection contributes to user convenience and to the bottom line. Faster connections means more transactions processed per minute and quicker access to business-critical data.

• A popular service level is 10 Mbps; this number is not required for every customer, but it is a good number to support a business with consistent and simultaneous Internet usage. A fiber-optic connection can easily satisfy this requirement. Spectrum Business can even support bandwidth speeds up to 10 Gbps.

Reliability - There’s only one thing worse than a slow Internet connection: One that doesn’t exist at all. Beyond day-to-day reliability, businesses also need a stable backend infrastructure for business continuity purposes.

• One of the most critical aspects of the recovery infrastructure is the final portion of networking that connects the business to the local infrastructure (the last mile). A failure in this part of the network puts companies at risk for more than just of a days-wide outage, and recovery from a massive service level failure can be very difficult (or even impossible).

• Companies with an outdated or inadequate infrastructure are at a greater risk of an outage in the last mile. However, companies with a fiber-based connection can mitigate this risk through the increased redundancy and failover capabilities.

The introduction of T1 lines was a revolution for many industries, as it provided a faster way for businesses to transmit large amounts of data. As Internet usage continues to skyrocket, companies continue to demand the fastest, most efficient, and most cost-effective ways to access and transmit data.

In order to satisfy this need, businesses are moving away from T1 connections and toward a more modern solution. In the context of both alternative solutions and the needs of the market, fiber optic is a great choice for companies making this transition.

Article

©2015 Charter Communications. Trademarks belong to their respective owners. All services not available in all areas. Restrictions may apply.

Spectrum Business is a unit of Charter Communications, Inc., one of the nation’s leading broadband communications companies. Leveraging the national reach of our parent company’s existing network, we provide business customers with reliable, secure,

Looking Beyond T1Fiber Is the Future

Migration is necessarySince fiber optic networks can easily meet the speed and reliability needs of end-users, there is no better time than the present to educate business stakeholders and take advantage of the market’s growth potential.

With a fiber-optic solution that is fast, reliable, and affordable, Spectrum Business is leading the charge into the next era of Internet connectivity. Click here to learn how Spectrum’s fiber optics can provide businesses with a next-generation solution for all of their Internet needs.