T1, DS1 Connections

T1 circuits are private line connections used for providing direct connections to telephone company switching centers; internet access from small and medium sized offices; connections between mobile phone cell sites (towers) and switching offices; and dedicated data transmission requiring up to 1.5 meg of throughput. T1s can be used to provide hub and spoke networks for MPLS cloud access and Voice over IP (VOIP) applications. They can also be used to extend networks to “off-net locations” in an economical manner. T1 circuits used for dedicated internet access (DIA) utilize the full available bandwidth for either up or downloading depending upon the application and other competing uses of the circuit.

The T1, DS1 circuit (the terms are technically slightly different, but are often used interchangeably) is the workhorse for voice and data transmission for small and medium sized business locations. While technically DS1 is the transmission protocol over a T carrier, this is a fine point which has meaning mainly to engineers and Bell System historians.

A T1 is a dedicated point-to-point private line circuit providing 1.544 megabits per second of data throughput. The circuit can be used as a high speed data connection for private line applications, MPLS, or internet access providing 1.536 mbit/second of data throughput with an additional 8 kbit/second dedicated to circuit overhead.

Other data solutions such as cable modems or DSL, which rely on a common shared facility to the Internet, will limit the amount of bandwidth available for both up and downloading. In addition, T1s are not subject to the distance limitations inherent in DSL/ADSL services and provide a good alternative for customers beyond the cable length limitations of these less robust services.

The European equivalent to the T1 circuit, the E1, is similar except that it includes 30 DS-0 equivalents and not 24, providing nearly 2 megabits of throughput. Accordingly, for international circuits, special tuning and termination is required to link T1 and E1 circuits. T1s are also utilized as PRI’s (the Primary Rate Interface standard developed for ISDN). In this case, there are 23 available 64 kilobit clear “B” channels available, with the 24th DSO, the “D channel” utilized for signaling within the Public Switched telephone Network.

Nitel is your one stop source in providing free price quotes on T1 connections, DS1 connections, T3s and DS3 connections, all with Tier 1 Carriers.