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Can Broadband *Truly* Replace T1 for a Business?

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Given the state of “faster” broadband technologies (5 Mbps to 9 Mbps Cable and DSL) and Broadband “Business Services” catering to true business needs, etc., why would one decide to look for leased T1 connections versus, say, a business-class Cable or DSL connection? I’m looking for a pro/con list and a discussion over whether broadband can actually be considered a point-for-point replacement for a T1 in the business arena. I’m not seeing how the traditional T1 route can justify its costs any more. Maybe someone with a little more longevity in this industry or more WAN connectivity experience than I can weigh in on this.

Example: A medium-sized business needing true 24/7/365 connectivity, prividing online content to nation-wide customers. In a situation like this, things like uptime SLA’s, static IP’s, (possibly) hosted DNS servers, Cisco router/PIX connectivity and compatibility, etc. become true issues. Typically, a business like this might opt for the standard 1.544 Mbps T1 with a failover connection to a (gasp) ISDN 128k or something of that ilk. But why not go with redundant Cable or DSL connections now?

Other Issues:
Price?
Reliability?
Gauranteed throughput?
Multiple public IP addresses?
Customer Support turnaround times?
Supported WAN protocols?
Single points of failure?

Any well thought-out comments are appreciated (I don’t want this thread to wind up being a “look how much faster my DSL tops out at vs. your Cable connection” flame war).

Thanks.

Topic

Cable

In reply to Can Broadband *Truly* Replace T1 for a Business?

If it’s throughput you’re looking for, Cable is
the way to go. You can get all the upload equal
to download you could want— for the price.
Same goes for satilite and even DSL. You got the
bucks– get the best, fastest and as reliable
as any other available.

article lacked content

In reply to Can Broadband *Truly* Replace T1 for a Business?

the article “Can broadband truly replace T1 for a business” told me absolutely nothing about the differences or Pros and Cons regarding broadband versus T1 and providing no relavent information in order to make a well founded decision.

Was not an article

In reply to article lacked content

Hi –

I didn’t write the post to be an informative article, I was simply posting to a message board asking for networking pro’s to weigh in on the subject. I was simply looking for input from others who have had to deal with this particular issue, and if they had any additional insight that may help. I have about 7 years hands-on experience in the networking & admin. industry, have certifications (CCNA, MCP’s, etc), but I have little hands-on WAN experience, so I was looking for any “gotcha’s” if you tried to supplant “classic” T1 functionality with a broadband technology.

I wasn’t trying to teach class. I was asking a question to the professors out there who already know the subject.

[Author]

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