Fast Ethernet (FE) & Gig-E circuits
are Replacing TDM - T1, DS3, OCx
We're dedicated to finding the right Ethernet solution for you.
Ethernet provides cost effective answers to corporate America's rising bandwidth needs. The advantages are clear:
Depending on location, Ethernet costs are generally significantly lower than T1, DS3, OCx or frame relay services. Ethernet costs per Mbps are continuing to drop relative to the costs of T1, DS3, and SONET service.
Telecom carriers and cable companies are now installing Metro Ethernet access in Metropolitan networks so that customers can plug into an Ethernet connection instead of a T1, DS3, or OCx.
Ethernet WAN connections are offered in several technologies; for example, Fiber Ethernet (Fast-E and Gig-E), EoC (Ethernet over Copper), or EoDs1 (Ethernet over DS1).
To determine whether Ethernet options are available at your locations, go to Ethernet Availability Check.
Plan Your Unique Ethernet Solution
QUESTIONS To Determine if Ethernet is a Good Fit:
1: Do you need more than 1.5 Mbps for either Internet Access or a Private Line Service?
If 1.5 Mbps is all that you need, T1s might still be one of your best options for reliable, bandwidth consistent services. Go to t1guy.com to see which T1 and similar options are available at your location(s).
2: Can you accurately predict your bandwidth needs 1, 2 and 3 years into the future?
The scalability of Ethernet is a valuable asset, allowing you to adjust your bandwidth quickly, conveniently, and at a minimal cost. At the time your Ethernet port is installed, you can choose one for a higher speed than what you need today and have the provider throttle the bandwidth to what you wish to pay for today. Typically, with the ease of a telephone call and usually, within a few hours, or perhaps a few minutes, you can have the bandwidth throttle adjusted to new requirements.
3: Do you want to reduce your router cost and complexity?
Especially for 3 Mbps bonded Ts and above, router cost and complexity increases significantly with higher bandwidth. Some of this cost and complexity is avoided by having an Ethernet handoff.
4: Is ETHERNET available at your Location(s)?
We have a patented, automated tool that can tell you Ethernet Availability and Pricing at your location(s). The Age of Ethernet is upon us - a glimpse into the future shows that more and more locations are becoming 'lit' for Ethernet. The tool at the link above can be used to monitor when Ethernet becomes available at your location(s).
Ethernet Internet Access Update
Written by Valorie Sands Budelis - November 8, 2010, Updatee - May 4, 2023
Q. - How can existing infrastructure be deployed to meet the needs for evolving bandwidth requirements?
A. Copper infrastructure is already in place that can meet specifications necessary to provide reliable, high-bandwidth services. Many businesses, with some residential users—are already employing copper connections to service their data and voice requirements. The many advantages, especially cost-efficacy, of relying on existing copper infrastructure to provide high-bandwidth and next-generation solutions were initially overlooked. With the advent of Carrier Ethernet as the option of choice for many applications, and with there still being many locations not yet connected via fiber or cable, Ethernet over Copper (EoC) can not be ignored. In fact, in rural areas, there is a high likelihood of service providers turning to field-tested, cost-effective solutions to tap the potential of existing infrastructure already in place as the most cost-conscious option.
The move to Ethernet over Copper (EoC) via IEEE and ITU specifications together with bandwidth extensions made possible by new technology have driven EoC to be an important option. This solution retains reliability and boosts speed over copper by a factor of 10 or so– compared with the older, more conventional T1 and E1 solutions. These benefits, and the fact that EoC has a quicker ROI, translate into important cost advantages to carriers for copper compared to fiber. This has made the key difference for many organizations that now choose EoC in widescale deployments, for example, for campus networks, small businesses, and feeds to DSLAMs and wireless base stations.
In the USA, T1s using copper were deployed extensively for such requirements, and fed a majority of remote domestic DSLAMS and wireless base stations. Here, the return on investment for converting from T1 lines to Ethernet over Copper is clearly advantageous. Further, a closer look at the cost justification numbers for Ethernet over fiber reveals that in the USA and Europe, ROI is hurt by the expense of location-specific requirements which include digging of trenches for the fiber, whereas copper, already deployed – just needs implementation of an EoC platform. Clearly, by deploying the existing copper, ROI can be improved – to down to less than four months, compared with five years. Numbers like these are hard to ignore and make a strong case for justifying the choice of an EoC solution over fiber.
Often additional expenditures involved with deploying fiber have been mitigated and the case is also made for moving to a technology that will be viable for the foreseeable future rather than holding on to a legacy technology. While this still works as a practical rationale for very high-bandwidth requirements and for core networks – in situations where copper presents a more than adequate solution today, EoC will most likely continue to perform comparatively well in coming years.
EoC circuits operate up to 100 Mbps supported by 8 bonded copper pairs. These high bandwidths are possible without sacrificing reliability and while meeting long distance requirements through the use of repeater technology. The future is clear: high bandwidth over copper can make an important difference to the bottom line, offering speed, reliability, distance, and superior ROI over T1/DS3/OCX access circuits.
Q. How does EFM (Ethernet in the First Mile) compare with existing T1s (or E1s)?
A. Although a robust solution for decades, 1.5 mbps, once considered “blazing speed” for even large enterprises, is hardly even meeting the needs of many SMBs or branch offices today. For organizations requiring daily network operations (e.g. file sharing, cloud computing, telepresence and VoIP), the demanding need for additional bandwidth is clear. Of course, there are some applications that only require 1.5 Mbps; e.g., there are remote IoT installations for which a T1 is an adequate solution.
While a T1 delivers just over 1.5 mbps per line (using two pairs of copper), the IEEE EFM over copper standard allows up to 15 mbps per pair or 30 mbps for two pairs. This amounts to a 20X performance boost when compared to those overutilized and just plain tired T1 circuits.
