If a full T1 isn't in your budget, you need to consider a fractional t1 line. Why not get all the advantages of T1 even if your not in a market for a full T1? For many people the biggest factor in their decision is reliability and if reliability is critical to the applications you run over your connection you should seriously consider replacing your DSL connection with a fractional T1. DSL is a quick and cost effective method of acquiring high speed bandwidth however it is not intended to support commercial applications or large numbers of users as are T1 connections.

One drawback to fractional T1 service is the price. Even though you won't have a full T1 you will be paying quite a bit more than you did for your DSL connection. This is due to the structure of T1 pricing. A T1 connections is established by providing a "loop" or wire from the users premesis to the CO where the service provider has equipment. Part of the cost of a T1 is the "loop charge" or the monthly rental fee for the wire that is rented from the local phone company. Once the connection reaches the CO it can access the carriers network and reach any destination. This loop is paid in full whether you use a fraction of the available bandwidth or the full 1.5Mbps and therefore your price for a 768Kbps fractional T1 connection will never be half the price of a 1.5mbps full T1 connection.

Although the price reduction is not what you might expect it to be, this may put a T1 in your budget and be a great way to get dedicated service into your building. Once you have fractional service upgrading to full service is easy. Fractional service typically comes in 256Kbps increments from 256Kbps all the way to a full T1 at 1.5Mbps. Find the service that's right for you, but if you are supporting critical services think reliability. Reliability becomes critical when customers or employees depend on your connection for immediate responses. If your customers use your connection to access your databases or your server or the internet then reliability of your connection is critical. If your employees depend on your connections because you host the e-mail server in house or host web servers or ASP type products, your connections is considered critical. A critical connection can be viewed much like a lifeline, without which your business would be negatively impacted.

Searching for a DS1 in Los Angeles? Bandwidth has never been cheaper and Los Angeles is no exception to this. Many telecom companies built out their infrastructure in Metro cities and with the crash that has taken place since 1999 many of these companies have seen the usage of their pipes decrease significantly. The infrastructure that was lais is a fixed cost that companies are eager to recover. The result of the reduced number of businesses in the market seeking service and the drop in pricing has created a buyers market.

In a buyers market remember that you can push and probably get concessions from the carrier but also remember that all carriers are not created equally. Many carriers may appear to offer a bargain price but you may be several hops from the internet and have a problem with latency. You may also be using a small carrier that hasn't actually checked the capacity of the CO before you sign your contract and can't even deliver the service they promised. The only way you'll discover this is when you start using your connection and find that at peak traffic times your connection is bogged down at a level below that which was guaranteed.

We suggest when dealing with a larger pipe you consider the larger Tier1 providers. You can still get a great price even though it's not as low as some of the Tier 1 and Tier 3 companies. You'll also have the peace of mind knowing that you have an SLA and the company will deliver what you believe you will get. If you're in the market of a DS3, communications are vital to your company. Make sure you get both a reliable product and the price you're looking for. If you need help finding such a service, consider speaking with the professionals at T1.