What is a T1?

Written by: DirectGlobal - Jan 8, 2009

A T-1, or DS1 line, is a private dedicated line that goes directly from your office or business to your Internet Service Provider (ISP), providing transmission at 1.544Mbps, roughly 60 times more data than a normal residential modem. It is also extremely reliable, much more reliable than an analog modem. Depending on what they are doing, a T1 line can generally handle quite a few people. For general browsing, hundreds of users are easily able to share a T1 line comfortably. Unlike Cable Internet, ISDN or a Dialup connection, a T1 line provides guaranteed bandwidth, since the line is not shared with other users. The T1 / DS1 standard is used in the North American and Japanese marketplaces.

For voice & data, a T1 line can carry 24 digitized voice channels, or it can carry data at a rate of 1.544 megabits per second. If the T1 line is being used for telephone conversations, it plugs into the office's phone system. If it is carrying data it plugs into the network's router. For more information on T1 lines, please click here