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PBX Phone Systems

A private branch exchange (PBX) is a telephone exchange that serves a particular business or office, as opposed to one that a common carrier or telephone company operates for many businesses or for the general public. PBXs are also referred to as:

• PABX – private automatic branch exchange
• EPABX – electronic private automatic branch exchange

PBXs make connections among the internal telephones of a private organization — usually a business — and also connect them to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) via trunk lines. Because they incorporate telephones, fax machines, modems, and more, the general term “extension” is used to refer to any end point on the branch. Read more…

Multiprotocol Label Switching

Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a mechanism in high-performance telecommunications networks which directs and carries data from one network node to the next. MPLS makes it easy to create “virtual links” between distant nodes. It can encapsulate packets of various network protocols.

MPLS is a highly scalable, protocol agnostic, data-carrying mechanism. In an MPLS network, data packets are assigned labels. Packet-forwarding decisions are made solely on the contents of this label, without the need to examine the packet itself. This allows one to create end-to-end circuits across any type of transport medium, using any protocol. The primary benefit is to eliminate dependence on a particular Data Link Layer technology, such as ATM, frame relay, SONET or Ethernet, and eliminate the need for multiple Layer 2 networks to satisfy different types of traffic. MPLS belongs to the family of packet-switched networks.

MPLS operates at an OSI Model layer that is generally considered to lie between traditional definitions of Layer 2 (Data Link Layer) and Layer 3 (Network Layer), and thus is often referred to as a “Layer 2.5″ protocol. It was designed to provide a unified data-carrying service for both circuit-based clients and packet-switching clients which provide a datagram service model. It can be used to carry many different kinds of traffic, including IP packets, as well as native ATM, SONET, and Ethernet frames.

A number of different technologies were previously deployed with essentially identical goals, such as frame relay and ATM. MPLS technologies have evolved with the strengths and weaknesses of ATM in mind. Many network engineers agree that ATM should be replaced with a protocol that requires less overhead, while providing connection-oriented services for variable-length frames. MPLS is currently replacing some of these technologies in the marketplace. It is highly possible that MPLS will completely replace these technologies in the future, thus aligning these technologies with current and future technology needs.

In particular, MPLS dispenses with the cell-switching and signaling-protocol baggage of ATM. MPLS recognizes that small ATM cells are not needed in the core of modern networks, since modern optical networks (as of 2008) are so fast (at 40 Gbit/s and beyond) that even full-length 1500 byte packets do not incur significant real-time queuing delays (the need to reduce such delays — e.g., to support voice traffic — was the motivation for the cell nature of ATM).

At the same time, MPLS attempts to preserve the traffic engineering and out-of-band control that made frame relay and ATM attractive for deploying large-scale networks.

While the traffic management benefits of migrating to MPLS are quite valuable (better reliability, increased performance), there is a significant loss of visibility and access into the MPLS cloud for IT departments.

How to Tell You Need Point to Point Service

Is it time to look for Point to Point service? Many people are confused when they consider whether to upgrade from DSL or not. There are several factors to consider when examining you current DSL connection and the possiblity of replacing it. For many people the biggest factor 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 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.

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. Your monthly savings of having a sub-par connections will not make up for the loss in productivity of your employees or loss of customers when your DSL connections gets bogged down or cut off. To reiterate, ciritcal connections should be supported with a T1.

Many customers are extremely price sensitive and cannot afford the cost of a T1 which can be as much as 20 times more expensive than a full T1 connection. Residential customers who are most sensitive to price should not consider a T1 circuit unless then have a business reason to pay for such a circuit and cannot access DSL service. Most people don’t realize that a DSL connection can be just as fast as a T1 at 1.5Mbps. The shortcoming of DSL is that it is oversubscribed. This means there is a finite amount of bandwidth available and a customers speed can drop if other customers in the neighborhood decide to use their service. SDSL (Synchronous DSL) is a business class DSL and is ranked as a higher priority than residential DSL or ADSL (Asunchronous DSL). This means it is not oversubscribed to the extent than ADSL and is subject to fewer bandwidth restrictions. In short, if price is your critical factor go with DSL. If reliability is the critical factor purchase a dedicated T1.

Don’t Pay For Your Point to Point Router!

With the drop in the economy since 1999 came a drop in usage of network capacity. This spells opportunity for broadband buyers. Carriers are bending over backward trying to get people to use their networks. A few years ago hardware was something you had to worry about yourself. Today, most service providers are willing to throw in a Point to Point router valued between $750 to $3,000 with your new service contract. Providers have become extremely competetive and one of the ways they are trying to attract customers is by making the start-up process as simple as possible.

Service providers have tried many different methods of attracting customers and simplifying the start-up process. Credit checks have been simplified, application paperwork been reduced in size, and there are increasingly discounts available for new customers. The free router when from a special promotion offered to increase month end sales to becoming a standard part of the product offering. It is now the exception to the norm to find providers that do not offer a router with their service.

If you’re in the market for a new T1 service be aware that you should be able to get a router with your service. If the provider does not offer this service don’t be afraid to ask for it and if they do offer it make sure you get the best router possible. Remember, it’s a buyers market and you will likely be able to add on a few “extra” when you get your new service. The best way to ensurethat you aren’t leaving anything on the table is use a broker who knows the service providers and knows how to get you as much as possible. Consider using one of the brokers at ShopforT1.com.

Point to Point – Is it Right for You?

Is it time to upgrade to a T1? There are several factors to consider when examining you current DSL connection and the possiblity of replacing it. For many people the biggest factor 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 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 is a T1 connections.

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, your connections is considered critical. A critical connection can be viewed much like a life line, without which your business would be negatively impacted. Your monthly savings of having a sub-par connections will not make up for the loss in productivity of your employees or loss of customers when your DSL connections gets bogged down or cut off. To reiterate, ciritcal connections should be supported with a T1.

Many customers are extremely price sensitive and cannot afford the cost of a T1 which can be as much as 20 times more expensive than a full T1 connection. Residential customers who are most sensitive to price should not consider a T1 circuit unless then have a business reason to pay for such a circuit and cannot access DSL service. Most people don’t realize that a DSL connection can be just as fast as a T1 at 1.5Mbps. The shortcoming of DSL is that it is oversubscribed. This means there is a finite amount of bandwidth available and a customers speed can drop if other customers in the neighborhood decide to use their service. SDSL (Synchronous DSL) is a business class DSL and is ranked as a higher priority than residential DSL or ADSL (Asunchronous DSL). This means it is not oversubscribed to the extent than ADSL and is subject to fewer bandwidth restrictions. In short, if price is your critical factor go with DSL. If reliability is the critical factor purchase a dedicated T1.

We guarantee that the rates you receive from GeoQuote(tm) will not be beaten by any “inside salesmen”, websites, or agents for that service provider. If you do find cheaper price anywhere else, we will match that price and pay you up to $500 cash back!

OC3 Service Experts

An OC3 line is an ultra high-speed connection capable of transmitting data at rates up to 155 Mbps. Some ISP’s, large corporations and universities with high-volume network traffic will require an OC3 if they have an extremely high volume of traffic that can’t be handled by a DS3. An OC3 is so large that some ISP’s use this as the backbone to their network. If you believe you’re in the market for OC3 Service we recomend getting ahold of an expert.

While you may be an expert when it comes to network connections and data applications you will still want to have an expert by your side when it comes to pricing and negotiating for a connections. The expert to whom we refer is a broker or independent agent. In addition to being knowledgable of the technology a brokers expertice lies in his or her knowledge of carriers, their networks, their strengths and weakenesses and also in their relationship with sales managers and VP’s at the companies. This means a better deal for you!

There is an opportunity to achieve significant cost reductions in your oc3 service. The key is using an expert broker. Brokers don’t charge fees to the end user and they don’t mark up the priceof the service. They are paid by the company which you sign with at the end. As the carrier doesn’t have to pay an inside sales rep for the sale, they compensate the broker instead and maintain the same margin as though you went direct. Another advantage of the agent is the fact that he is paid on a residual basis. This means that he or she is interested in the longevity of your account and the level of your service.

 Written by – Zackary Dahl, Staff Writer

T1 Bandwidth is getting cheaper

While many people predicted the end of price erosion for T1 bandwidth it continues to fall. Service providers are up against stiffer competition and are desperate for new customers to fill their pipes and turn a profit.T1 bandwidth pricing reduces as companies have gone out of business and the large number of telecommunications companies are fighting for a place in a smaller market.  Read more…