FiberGuide is a one stop source for dedicated Internet access. Through GeoQuote, a connectivity service pricing tool, visitors can generate multiple quotations from a plethora of dedicated Internet services and providers. With GeoQuote providers offering connectivity to every corner of North America, anyone in the region can search for pricing packages from multiple providers, compare packages, and even request to order.
What is dedicated Internet access?
Unlike mass market broadband access that can be shared, dedicated Internet access is configured exclusively for the subscriber. If one subscribes to 10Mbps Internet, for example, one should always expect 10Mbps irrespective of the number of users on the network at any given time. On the contrary, most residential broadband services are shared and the Internet speed will fluctuate with the number of subscribers on the same network.
While shared residential services work perfectly well for applications such as surfing, email access and other personal online activities, they fall short when it comes to business mission critical applications. Dedicated Internet access is essential for applications such as business VoIP, high bandwidth video conferencing, Key advantages of dedicated Internet access include:
Guaranteed bandwidth
Businesses subscribe to dedicated Internet access because they require a given speed at all times. With dedicated access, if the provider specifies 100 Mbps bandwidth is guaranteed to be 100 Mbps at all times. Dedicated Internet is described as having a contention of 1:1 which means that the service is not shared with other subscribers.
Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Dedicated Internet services come with a service level agreement. A service level agreement is a commitment by the provider to the subscriber that the Internet will meet certain attributes. Attributes commonly described in a SLA include Internet speed, availability, latency, jitter, packet loss, response time, and provider responsibilities.
Availability (or uptime)
Availability (or uptime) is a critical attribute for businesses. It defines the percentage of time the service is up and running. Sometimes availability can be measured in terms of downtime, the percentage of time the Internet is not available.
Availability can vary from 99.5% to 99.999% depending on the type of dedicated Internet access and the provider. Typical GeoQuote providers offer dedicated Internet access with 99.9% to 99.999% availability. These availabilities are equivalent to 9 hours and 5 minutes of downtime per respectively.
Latency
Latency is the time delay from the time a packet is sent and the time it is received. In certain applications, such as VoIP, high latency can degrade the signal and can make it difficult to have a conversation. Satellite broadband using geo-stationary earth satellites have the highest latency because of the long distance from an antenna on earth to the satellite and back again.
Jitter
Jitter is random changes in latency. Applications that are sensitive to latency are even more vulnerable to jitter. While two parties to a conversation can come to terms with latency as they expect the delay, jitter makes it impossible to anticipate when to expect a response from someone on the other side of the line.
Packet loss
Packet loss is the loss of one or more Internet Protocol (IP) packets in the network. Packet loss manifests itself as errors in the signal received. For mission critical applications, the packet loss should be kept to a minimum and the provider guarantees that they will not exceed a certain level.
Response time
Response time is the maximum time the provider will take to fix the Internet if there is a failure. Providers can guarantee response times as low as 4 hours for your dedicated Internet. On the contrary, residential broadband providers can take up to 24 hours to attend to your home broadband service.
Symmetric upload/download
Most residential Internet services are asymmetric with download speed greater than upload speed. This is understandable as most home use typically download more data than they upload. For business applications, however, dedicated Internet access comes with equal download and upload speeds.
Static IP address
Dedicated Internet access comes with at least one static IP address. Unlike a dynamic IP address that can change, a static IP address is fixed. Your business will need a static IP address for one or more of the following:
- To host your own web or email server
- You have remote devices that must connect to your network using an IP address
- You need to remotely connect into your LAN network with a VPN
Types of dedicated Internet services
There are different types of dedicated Internet services one can choose from. Whatever businesses end up choosing depends on several factors, including technical specifications, availability and cost. Obviously, those in urban centers have many choices while businesses in rural and underserved areas have limited options. Options available through GeoQuote include Ethernet dedicated Internet and t1 Internet.
Ethernet dedicated Internet
In Ethernet dedicated Internet, the provider sets up an Ethernet virtual connection between your location and the provider’s point of presence. Ethernet dedicated Internet is increasingly becoming the de facto dedicated Internet service for serious businesses. It offers very high speed, lowest cost per bit, high availability and low latency.
The best Ethernet dedicated Internet is achieved over optical fiber. Hundreds of thousands of buildings in the United States fall under the category of fiber connected buildings and are connected by one or more providers to their Ethernet network. In the event that a building is not already connected, a provider may be able to connect it provided the building is within reach of their point of presence. Contact us to find out the provider with the closest point of presence from your location.
In the event that a building is not connected to fiber and installing an access link to a point of presence is deemed too expensive, Ethernet over copper may be a viable option. Ethernet over copper is delivered through the local twisted pair copper loop. There are significantly more buildings with access to Ethernet over copper than Ethernet over fiber. A number of GeoQuoteproviders offer Ethernet over copper up to Gigabit per second. Search GeoQuote to see what packages are offered in your area.
T1 Internet
T1 Internet is the most ubiquitous type dedicated Internet access. Although the speed is very modest, T1 Internet has the reputation for high quality and high reliability. For businesses in rural or underserved communities, T1 Internet may be the only form of dedicated Internet access available.
T1 Internet is provisioned over a T1 lines, a twisted copper medium capable of transmitting 1.544Mbps (1.536Mbps + 8 bits for channel control). Lines can be bonded to over higher data rates, typically 3 Mbps from most GeoQuote providers.
T1 lines were originally developed for voice communications and as a result, their bandwidth was specified by the number of voice channels. In the obsoletePlesiochronous Digital Hierarchy (PDH) and in SONET/SDH, a voice channel was referred to as DS0 (Digital Signal Zero) equivalent to 64Kbps. Thus, a T1 line is capable of carrying 1.536Mbps/64Kbps or 1536Kbps/64Kbps = 24 voice channels. The corresponding European E1 circuit carries 2.048Mbps or 32DS0.
Find out from GeoQuote which providers offers any of the services in your area.