April 09, 2004T1 LineCall me crazy, but back in the days when all I had was a skinny little pipe, I used to dream about having a big fat T1 line run to ranchero indebto. I'd lay awake (or almost awake) at night, dreaming about the speed and freedom I'd have with a serious connection. A T1 Internet connection to a house? It's not folly, not whatsoever. If you're serious about running a business online, whether it's out of your home or a more formal business location, a T1 hookup is the real deal. (Back in the heyday, I wrote an article about a guy with four T-1 lines running into his home!) There's no question that T1 lines cost a whole lot more than other connections. To those that have the big pipe, it's worth it. But how much more? It all depends on what they're selling ... You'll see companies advertising T1 Internet connections for as low as $350 bucks per month. After my experience, I've learned that the low-priced offers may not be what they appear to be. The ultimate cost of a T1 hookup depends on a number of factors, most importantly the type of connection and cost of the local loop. (There seems to be a good bit of action in the fractional and integrated T1 areas.) Bottom line: you've got to look around. I started researching T1s a few years back (before I got my dish--which I've just dumped). I called MCI (don't laugh), Sprint (as they're our local phoneco), and one or two other firms. After checking around, the best quote I got was $800 per month. (Which was, and still is, way out of my league.) I mentioned the quote to my buddies and they thought the price was high ... but it all came down to geography and the cost of the local loop. Now here's where we get to the odd part of the story ... No sooner do I get off the line with one of the T1 providers when, lo and behold, an unmarked white van pulls up to the curb in front of my house. I didn't think that much of this when it happened. It just looked like a sub-contractor for the phoneco, tv, or electric company. The guy fiddled around by the underground utility boxes for a while and sped off. Later that day, I walked up to the bus stop to get the kids off the school bus. When I looked down at the street in front of my house, I saw some new cryptic markings on the asphalt. Much to my amazement, "T-1" was spray-painted on the street, with an arrow pointing towards ranchero indebto. I had hoped to shoot a digital photo of it this morning, to post with this article. But when I walked out to the curb, I found that the marking has faded away with time. While I didn't end up with a T1 line, that doesn't mean I stopped dreaming about the increased level of customer support that I would have received ... it was a recurring dream when I had the satellite connection and it continues today, with the new hookup ... Posted by geekbooks at April 9, 2004 11:18 PM |
