For those of you not yet in the know, “dark fiber” refers to fiberoptic communications wiring that has been installed in the ground, but left unused for long period of time.

Google, thanks to historically cheap fiberoptics from the since-bust building boom, began buying up thousands of miles of this stuff. Why?

Eric Sacca, head of Google’s Special Initiatives department, says that the added fiber assists Google by avoiding long-haul transport fees for traffic going to/coming from giants like AT&T.

Google also uses this fiber to replicate its search index to Google sites around the world.

Find out more about Google’s dark fiber collecting and various related theories on voip-news.com.

Ok, here’s where we get a bit technical… if you’re in the telecommunications industry this type of jargon will be easy for you.

If you’re not, have patience!

T1 is a term for a digital carrier facility used to transmit DS-1 formatted digital signals at 1.544 Megabits per second. A T1 is made up of 24 digital channels. Most small Internet providers have a T1 line as their connection to the Internet.

A full T1 should accommodate from one to over 200+ users and other services from an Internet service provider (ISP).

[+] Use Our Online Broadband Search Tool to Find the Best T1 Provider

T-3

T1 is a solution for business that have more than 200 people using the internet or businesses that utilize significant voice and data applications.

T3 is a group of 21 T1’s combined together to form a circuit. This T3 circuit is capable of 44.736Mbps both upstream and downstream. Fractional T3s are available to those who need high speed internet downloads and uploads faster than a T1 but who do not need a full T3 line.

[+] Use Our Online Broadband Search Tool to Find the Best T3 Provider

Fractional T1

Fractional T1 is best for commercial customers that need serious bandwidth, but not a full T1. T1 is a term for a digital carrier facility used to transmit DS-1 formatted digital signals at 1.544 Megabits per second.

A T1 is made up of 24 digital channels. Most small Internet providers have a T1 (or a fractional T1) line as their connection to the Internet.

A full T1 should accommodate from one to over 200+ users and other services from an Internet service provider (ISP).

For those whom a T1 is not necessary, fractional T1s are available at a lower cost. They simply use a fraction of the total channels available for a full high speed internet T1 line.

[+] Use Our Online Broadband Search Tool to Find the Best Fractional T1 Provider

Integrated T-1

An Integrated T1 is a great new and popular service that allows you to combine all of your voice and internet requirements on one T1. This solution is perfect for business with 5 + phone lines. These solutions start as low as $339 a month.

This is the solution that the traditional phone companies don’t want you to know about.

Whether your business needs several phone lines or rapid Internet access - or a combination of both - Broadband National can find the right package for you from our many providers.

DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line. DSL is a technology that uses a standard copper two-wire pair (or line) to transmit high speed (high frequency) Internet connectivity to areas that will support the service.

How fast is DSL?

DSL can obtain speeds as high as 1.5Mbps and above, but the speed your location can receive depends on your address, line quality and the distance to your local phone company’s central office (CO).

Can I get Business DSL in my area?

Business DSL service can only be delivered within a radius from your phone company’s local central office. Typically, the highest speed service is restricted to a distance of 15,000 feet from the central office it is served from.

What are the different Business DSL “Options”?

Usually, the speeds and type of business DSL solutions available to you depend on two factors:

1) Your distance from the phone company’s Central Office (CO) and

2) the type of lines used between you and the Central Office (fiber/copper).

Each type of DSL has a different price, and different important attributes.

ADSL

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line is best for home and small business users based on price and speed.

It is called asymmetric because more of its bandwidth is devoted in the downstream direction than in the upstream direction.

That basically means that you use it more for downloading stuff, rather than uploading.

The main reason for this is most Internet applications require high-speed Internet download bandwidth while user requests and responses (uploads) are small and require little bandwidth.

ADSL runs anywhere from 608Kbps to 1.5Mbps downstream and 128Kbps to 384Kbps upstream. ADSL is available up to 15,000 feet from a CO.

Typically the download speed is faster than the upload speed. While ADSL can generally be installed up to 15,000 feet, this general rule does not guarantee that we will be able to install the circuit or that the circuit will perform at a reasonable level.

Our ADSL service is also referred to as RADSL (Rate-Adaptive ADSL).

The term “rate-adaptive” means the technology adapts to your individual line conditions, e.g., your specific distance from the CO and the quality of the copper line that serves your DSL.

Speeds expressed with ADSL packages are the maximum speeds your line may achieve. Although we will do everything within our power to provide you with the best possible service, due to the nature of the technology, ADSL services do not come with a service level guarantee. The actual speed is determined by both distance & copper quality, and installations resulting in “best business effort” speed (the maximum achievable speed based on technical conditions prior to install) will be considered successful. As many businesses require a guaranteed service, ADSL is not available for business locations. We recommend SDSL service for all eligible businesses.

[-] back to business broadband for VoIP

SDSL

Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line is best for heavy home users such as gamers, and for commercial customers. SDSL uses a single twisted-pair line, carrying 1.544Mbps in each direction.

It is called “symmetric” because the data is the same in both directions, downstream and upstream.

ISPs provide different service plans based on the data rate; they range from 192Kbps dedicated to 1.544Mbps dedicated.

NOTE: SDSL will support small and medium sized businesses.

[-] back to business broadband for VoIP

IDSL

IDSL is based on ISDN, an older technology that was designed to work well with existing ISDN transmission methods.

SDSL, and ADSL travel over regular copper lines and cannot have any electronics on them (such as, for example, amplifiers or repeaters - commonly used to “boost” the voice signal on conventional telephone lines).

Some business ADSL and SDSL orders cannot be fulfilled because of electronics or distance issues that are uncovered during the ordering process. In that case, IDSL may be the best solution.

In other words, IDSL will work great for your small business or home based business VoIP solutions if you are very far away from a telephone CO (Central Office).

[-] back to business broadband for VoIP

To set-up your VoIP service, if you’re using a IP phone adapter or even a PBX, you’ll need to determine the exact type of broadband service.

Since VoIP is bandwidth dependent (read the advantages and disadvantages of Voip here), even if you already have an existing broadband for your data (surfing the net, emails, file transfer, intranet etc) it is recommended that you get dedicated for your VoIP phone service.

Why? Because you don’t want voice and data to be running on the same line, sharing the resources. If there is congestion, people would tolerate a slow-loading website or email program, but they will not tolerate waiting even 10 seconds to get a reply from the person they’re talking to.

Would you? That’s why adequate broadband for Voip is VERY important. Here are the different types of broad band services:

DSL

Digital Subscriber Line, which also has several variations such as ADSL, SDSL and IDSL. DSL is great if your company has less than 6 phone lines.

DSL is a technology that uses a standard copper two-wire pair (or line) to transmit high speed (high frequency) Internet connectivity to areas that will support the service.

[+] Click Here for More Info On Using DSL Broadband for VoIP

[+] Use Our Online Broadband Search Tool to Find the Best DSL Provider

Satellite

Satellite Internet service is ideal for those who cannot be reached by other Internet connection types.

Satellite Internet has come a long way since its conception and now is more reliable than ever. It relies on gestational satellites that orbit above the equator at the same speed as the earth’s rotation and, thus, appear to be stationary to the ground.

The average Satellite download speed is 400Kbps although the Satellite can run up to 1.1Mbps. This will be more than sufficient for most home based or small business Internet users.

As long as you have a clear view of the southern skies, you can get Satellite Internet service.

[+] Use Our Online Broadband Search Tool to Find the Best Satellite Provider

T1 & T3

T1 is a solution for business that have more than 20 using the internet or businesses that utilize significant voice and data applications.

Although this may not be applicable to a small business or home business, you amy want to explore the possibilities.

[+] Click Here for More Info On Using T1 and T3 Broadband for VoIP

[+] Use Our Online Broadband Search Tool to Find the Best T1 Provider

Cable Internet

Cable is best for home based and small business users based on price and speed. Cable lines run over the cable providers existing cable through a cable modem.

A cable modem can run at high speeds, with a maximum of 2 Mbps download, typically running between 500 Kbps and 1 Mbps, and with uploads between 128 Kbps and 500 Kbps.

Please use our broad band search tool to find a suitable cable broadband provider.