Today, T1 internet is becoming widely used by companies everywhere.  T1 Internet service is common in the business world, as well as for individual users.  T1 prices are affordable for everyone.  Wireless internet is becoming very common among everyday businesses that need a good broadband connection, but as technology is changing, so are the trends in T1 services. 

Also, digital subscriber line services that are almost as fast as a T1 are becoming more widely available. Additionally, satellite service providers are beckoning potential customers to cut the cord entirely and tap that big network in the sky. 

Market cynics point out that the regional Bell and other local telephone companies such as GTE have been relatively passive with regard to T1 access pricing.

By keeping their prices high, competition for all local telecommunications services can flourish. Prices for local T1 access lines are on the way down. What cost $5,000 a month a few years ago can now be had for as little as about a hundred dollars, especially in the more competitive urban markets where business densities are high.

However, the T1 sales pitches may omit key details. A low T1 price may be the foot in the door to sell more expensive services, such as management, security, and applications hosting. But for businesses that are thorough, cautious, and smart, there are some very good deals to be had.  Many people attribute T1's price plunge to the commoditization of bandwidth when service are laying fiber as fast they can rev up ditch-diggers. However, keep in mind that there are several other factors in the local competition equation that have all but erased the margins for T1 lines.

Competitive carriers aren't just wiring business districts and office parks. They are also running high capacity fiber directly into buildings and up the elevator shafts of the biggest high rises they can find. 

A T1 line's total bandwidth is a little more than 1.5 Mbps and is usually divided into twenty four separate channels of 64 Kbps each, an arrangement that permits many customers to multiplex voice and data traffic across the link.  You should know that there are two flavors of local T1.

To start, the basic type connects a customer site with a carrier point of presence for transport across the public switched telephone network. An Internet T1 involves an ISP and a local access carrier to connect to the Internet. Customers pay slightly more for Internet T1s because the local carrier charges for the line and the ISP charges for connecting the customer line to a port on its router.  Pricing for a basic T1 line averages $300 to $500 a month.  Keep in mind that regardless of line type, pricing will vary depending on distance from the point of presence, whether you rent or own the access and termination equipment, and the duration of the agreement.

Today, there are not many IT managers complaining about price competition among carriers and service competition among DSL, satellite, and cable modems. Hitachi's Milano said that a few years ago it was cheaper to put in a 56-Kbps connection than a T1, but now they're the same price.  

T1 was supposed to face a tough challenge from DSL. But while DSL continues to enlarge its own service footprint, it may not have the broad business appeal that its proponents have suggested.