T1/DS1 broadband in Minnesota uses two pairs of copper wire for transmission over telephone lines. An ordinary telephone line uses the DS0 transmission protocol, which carries 64 Kbit per second. A T1 line uses the DS1 protocol to combine the equivalent of 24 telephone lines for a total bandwidth of 1.536 Mbit per second.

T1 providers in MN usually sell T1 lines to private customers in DS0 fractions. However, a small business will typically use a full T1 line to connect to the Internet and larger business may use multiple T1 lines bundled together.

There are three primary factors to consider when you compare providers of T1 Internet in Minnesota:

1. Prices for T1 in Minnesota vary in part according to your distance from the carrier’s Point of Presence. The further you are from the carrier’s POP, the more your T1/DS1 line will cost.

2. Major carriers usually own and operate their own networks, generally resulting in the best actual transmission speeds.

3. A channel bank is necessary to separate the DS1 data stream back into the 24 DS0 data packets. This device is relatively expensive to purchase or lease and represents a substantial investment for a small business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Locate providers of T1 Internet in Minnesota that sell full T1 service

Use dedicated T1 in Minnesota to provide high-speed Internet access for a group of employees. These services frequently include multiple static IP addresses and email addresses under your domain name.

I recommend: XO Communications is one of the largest nationwide networks and offers connection speeds from T1 up to 1 Gbps. Qwest is a Tier 1 provider that offers full T1 lines. You can obtain pricing and availability information on Qwest's website by submitting your telephone number.

Find dedicated Minnesota T1 services that specialize in business packages

Get T1 access in Minnesota from a provider that can meet your needs now and scale your requirements as your business grows.

I recommend: Corecomm offers dedicated T1 service for businesses of all sizes and guarantees uptime of 99.5 percent. USA Digital provides fractional and full T1 service to businesses that require reliable and secure connections to the Internet.

Check out access packages from a local T1 carrier in Minnesota

Providers of T1/DS1 broadband in Minnesota connect your business to the carrier's POP. This connection is known as the local loop and represents a substantial component of a T1 line's cost.

I recommend: Integra Telecom provides T1 service for small- and medium-sized businesses in the Twin Cities area. Minneapolis-based ipHouse offers synchronous T1 lines for businesses and can bundle up to 8 T1 lines together.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  T1 service in Minnesota also is available as a channeled circuit to allow voice traffic on a portion of the channels. These voice channels may be plain T1 or Primary Rate Interface channels. Call centers frequently use PRI lines because they also carry signaling data such as Caller ID and Automatic Number Identification data.