Fiber vs. T1 – is there really a choice?

When Cazbah moved into new offices a few years ago, we explored options for phone and internet service.  The only feasible option was to choose a conventional T1 line to be installed that would be split between a VoIP phone system and internet service.  We contracted with a major provider who coordinated the work between a number of companies and after a few months, our service was operational.  This approach also required the purchase of a standalone hybrid VoIP telephone system to “translate” between the T1 and our phones.  The system works fine.

Unfortunately, as it turns out, the build-out of a fiber optic network throughout Ontario County was not yet positioned for service into our facility.  A little background:  The $7.5 million ring of optical fiber being built in Ontario County is designed to bring high-speed Internet service and improved wireless and cellular service to all corners of the county. The ring is a project of the nonprofit corporation Axcess Ontario, also known as Finger Lakes Regional Telecommunications Development Corporation.  Additional information can be found at http://www.co.ontario.ny.us/tdc/index.html .  One national bit of recognition from the Harvard University’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government entitled Ontario County Fiber-optic ring garners praise can be found at http://www.rbj.net/article.asp?aID=185241.  All-in-all, the project has received significant recognition on a national level that should be saluted by all of us that have access to the ring.

Now, back to Cazbah:
We recently determined that our bandwidth was insufficient due to our growth and we went about the process of bringing in additional bandwidth.  We contacted a local company, Finger Lakes Technologies Group and were pleasantly surprised to discover that the ring was now totally accessible to our location and after a few simple conversations, we committed to the installation of a local link to the new fiber optic network that was now approaching maturity.

Here’s what it came down to:

Choice 1 consisted of the installation of an additional T1 that, although it would increase our bandwidth, involved a lengthy installation process involving more than 1 service provider.

Choice 2 would be to go with Finger Lakes Technologies Group and have them install a link from a local demarcation point into our facility.

The T1 would be a static increase in bandwidth that was based on conventional technology that has been around a long time.  The fiber optic link, based upon new but proven technology, has a very interesting feature in that now, when our continued growth demands additional bandwidth, we simply place a call and through a software modification, can instantaneously dial up the bandwidth without requiring the installation of any new hardware!

Oh, and by the way……  the economics of the fiber ring option certainly added to making the choice an easy one.  It is not exactly an apples to apples comparison, but the performance difference of 10 to 1 in download speed and 2 to 1 in upload speed along with a significant cost advantage certainly suggests that the choice between fiber and T1 is an easy one for those whose proximity allows access.