Re: [PLUG] T1 Connections..

[Jason Costomiris <jcostom@jasons.org>]

On Wed, Jun 28, 2000 at 04:01:13PM -0400, Bill Jonas wrote:
: When you order a T-1, Bell, after a (usually seemingly
: interminable) period of time, runs "dry copper" (just a copper
: twisted-pair wire, with no other services on it) to your place of
: business.  

Not always true.  Sometimes, when the run is very short, Ma Bell will use
Cu for the whole thing, however, most of the time, this is simply not what
they do.  It's also not a dry pair.  There are actual line programming
codes used to control the signals (look up terms like B8ZS, AMI, SF and 
ESF)..  The fiber loop they'll drop in will typically be OC-3 or OC-12
capacity glass, to permit growth.

Ma Bell will drop fiber into your building (if it's not already there), 
and install a couple of boxes called a "fiber loop converter" and a 
"smartjack".  The Cu will be run from the smartjack to your CSU.  It's
interesting to note that my T-1 was delivered over fiber, despite being
next door (literally) to my local CO.  Fiber strung over the alleyway, 
along the rear roofline, and down to the basement where the loop convertor
and smartjack are.  Of course, there's our T-1 (no voice on it), and our
neighbors that have 3 voice T-1's.  The programming for an "all voice"
T-1 is not unline PRI programming.

: T-1s come with a fixed charge per month, and you cannot make voice calls
: over them (unless you do something like Voice over IP); it's just a data
: connection.

Not true, as well...  It is possible, but not always desirable to split off
some of the DS0's of your T1 for use as voice channels.  This is done by
terminating the T1 in a device known as a "channel bank".  So in his case,
were he wanting to get a 256k frac t-1, and use channels from the same line
for voice, he would need to use an ISP that's also a telco, such as MCI,
Sprint or ATX (Philly's own)..

-- 
Jason Costomiris <><           |  Technologist, geek, human.
jcostom {at} jasons {dot} org  |  http://www.jasons.org/ 

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